Name: Ma'kine (Pronounced Maa-Keen, with a long 'a' and 'een' as in seen). The name originates in a lost language, though it is a corruption of the true spelling and pronunciation.

English Translation: Ma'kine translates roughly into English, as it was currupted even in its original language. It can be taken to mean 'Final One' or 'Undying'.

Race: Ma'kine is a Shinigami. Ma'kine's origins are unknown to all but himself. The winged Shinigami shares none of his secrets, so only the robes he occasionally wears identify him as being a Soul Reaper.

Gender: Ma'kine is male, though beyond that he deals not in matters of the flesh. Biology is a pointless topic to the Shinigami.

Date of Birth: Ma'kine acknowledges his birthday on the twelfth day of October. He first appeared outside the noble house of Baozhai, over six thousand years ago, requesting to become part of the Shinigami. He never gives the same answer twice when asked how much older he is than that, as he was already a grown man by that point. He has barely aged a day since and only acknowledges the date of his arrival due to needing to claim a birthday.

Appearance Age: Ma'kine appears in his mid twenties or early thirties. His lack of bodily hair and chiseled body makes him appear younger.

Actual Age: The youngest anyone has been able to guage his age is the day of his arrival outside the House of Baozhai. He claims to be much older, but by how much he doesn't know. As such, when asked, he repeatedly gives very different answers to his actual age.

Organization and Rank: Ma'kine is a member of the Gotei, officially in the Fifth Division. He holds the sixth seat, due to his request to remain in that position. He has the potential for Captaincy or transfer to a higher seat in a different Division, but has politely declined. He frequently aids other Divisions, and has a fondness for the Eleventh Division.Ma'kine is the leader of the unofficial organization SECRET- Spiritually Exceptional Creatures Recognized as Extreme Threats. SECRET is a group of beings of all races whom all are considered abnormal, and as such are feared or isolated. Ma'kine created SECRET to aid abnormals, such as peaceful Hollows, Vizards, spiritually aware Humans, and some Quincies. He has been unsuccessful recruiting Arrancar. SECRET is... 'secret' in that nobody knows whom all the members are, where they meet or that Ma'kine is the leader. However, it is spoken of in rumors and in hushed voices. Some people fear SECRET due to its secretive nature. Ma'kine doubts the group would be allowed to exist if they were more known.

Height: Ma'kine is a giant of a man, standing at just shy of eight and a half feet. Fully extended, his wings add another twelve inches to his highest point, making him require a space at least nine feet and eight inches high to move without touching the ceiling. His wingspan of twenty feet and overall bulk give him a larger than life presence.

Weight: As he is tall, one would expect him to be equally heavy. However, he is much lighter than one would expect, only two hundred and twenty three pounds. Much of that weight is muscle required to pump his wings and from such a long time practicing the sword. Despite his weight, he is almost silent on foot or wing, needing only the gentlest of flaps to keep himself airborne.

Hair color: Ma'kine's hair has strands of red, brown and black throughout. The three colors are natural, with shades from palest ruby to darkest onyx. The hair covers his ears and is pernamently messy, as if he had just awoken.

Eye color: Ma'kine's eyes are iridescent, a swirl of colors that flows and moves, spinning around the pupil regardless of whether his eyes are still or in motion. The spinning allows him a bird-like vision while able to look relatively normal.

General Appearance: Ma'kine is best known for his huge size, dwarfing many of the shorter Shinigami in the Gotei. Ma'kine's hair, with its multitude of reds, browns and black, is soft as a kitten's fur and descends only to cover his ears, concealing the half-cones that end in a feathery tuft. His eyes, living works of art, are swirling orbs of color, as if a drop of every color was set on a blank orb and set spinning, swirling around but never blurring and bleeding together. In the center of each iris is a small pupil, a single black space. His straight nose rest above pale red lips that once were vibrant but appear drained of color. His skin appears flawless, as if his body had never known what acne or blemishes were.

His wide shoulders connect a strong but not thick neck to his chest and arms, perfectly proportional to his height. Like his arms, his torso ripples every where with honed, chiseled muscle, the kind Greeks carved into statues of gods. Emerging from his back, on either side of his spine emerge thick, huge wings. With a twenty foot wingspan, his wings fold not once but twice along his back. The first section away from his body is thickest, protecting the middle area when closed. This repeats on the thinnest section, which when closed folds downward to wrap into the middle, which then wraps into the first. The bones are thick under the grey feathers. The longest of the feathers are speckled, similar to many types of birds.

His hands possess five fingers each, with long, slightly curved nails. Ma'kine's fingers are thin and straight, with the three middle fingers being the same length. The nails however are not equal, with the center-most finger having a nail longer than the other two, on both hands. Ma'kine has bronzed skin, with thick veins and arteries coursing throughout his body. These passages are larger than typical humans' blood paths due to his need to pump far more blood and oxygen to his muscles to support his weight. His lower half looks male-ly human, however the flesh is covered by feathers, more downy near the waist, groin and ankles, and thicker closer to the knee. Despite the feathered legs, he has bare feet, perfectly human in appearance.

His warb includes a standard Shinigami uniform, though the top portion is open and tied around the waist except while in the labs or ordered by a Captain. The means he is bare from the waist up most of the time, garbed by the black pants and sandals. His feet are normally clad in black socks and tabi shoes. This leaves his wings exposed, allowing him to take off whenever he requires to.

He possesses his own garments as well, worn on unofficial business. It is a variation on the standard Shinigami uniform, though much tighter and with the back completely exposed, save for a thin band that ties around his neck. Over the tighter, exposed uniform he wears what at first looks like a Haori, but upon closer inspection is different. For starters, it is not white but silver and is actually worn backwards, with the symbols written where the front of the body is, and the back open. Next, it has no Division, but strange runic symbols down the front. According to Ma'kine, the symbols are from the same lost language his name was derived, and it means, loosely, 'Death from Above'. Another difference is that the whole garment is woven not from fabric, but from tightly interlocking scales. There is no borders along on the garment, which Ma'kine claims is called a Vastech, or 'Dragon Shirt'.

Lastly, his casual wear is a simple white robe, not unlike a bathrobe. In fact, it is a bathrobe that has been modified so the soft fluffiness is against his body while a silken part lays on the outside, sown on by Ma'kine. Under this, he usually wears little at all, if anything. He accompanies his robe with either tabi or bare feet. He does own slippers, though they were a mocking joke to the winged giant; they are shaped like owls and each step causes tiny wings on the side to move. They're very modeled after the Human children slippers, such as the bunnies and dogs whose ears cover their faces unless the child walk. Secretly, Ma'kine adores the slippers. Nobody will claim to have been the one to place them outside his rooms, however.

Ma'kine:

The Psyche

Redeeming Qualities:

Ma'kine knows who to appeal to and who to make friends with. And he knows who should align themselves with whom. While he prefers to have few allies and even fewer friends, he can tell from brief conversations who would do best in what groups.

Along the lines of the aforementioned, Ma'kine has a sharp mind for strategy. He can partner both Shinigami or spells with the best compliments, or plant one into a group that would cause a major disruption. He knows that three man groups work best when you have a range fighter, a healer and a close combatant. Or which Kido users would compliment each others spells, as all Shinigami who use Kido eventually have a fall-back spell that they use more than the rest.

Ma'kine also does not boast and is willing to admit his faults. While he retains that he is not perfect, he does acknowledge his skills. He gives that those skills are not without limit, though. He is all too aware of his limitations and will always pull out of a fight that is a losing battle. It is not for fear of death or defeat, but rather to give himself time to overcome his enemy or obstacles.

Ma'kine has an enormous amount of energy. His body brims with it, giving his already body an even larger presence. He fills the room around himself with it. This energy gives him both an extreme ability to remain awake and do multitudes of tasks, but also a need for high energy food. He's become so accustomed to his home-made meals that are blends of expensive foods, he refers to all else as "common-folk" food.

Ma'kine's specialty is being able to link spells one after another, and his vast stores of Spiritual and Physical energy give him the ammunition to do so. Among spell users, he's known for using Bakudo in rapid succession, especially from a surprise attack. He fires multitudes of low numbered, weaker spells followed by an incredibly powerful high number spell. It's a simple plan, but only one with his levels of energy could accomplish it, or block it. The most cost efficient way to block would be to match each spell by an equal barrier, as too weak a barrier would shatter under the high numbered spell, but throwing up a level eighty Kido barrier would waste too much energy as Ma'kine would simply keep pouring on the teen-numbered spells until the enemy was exhausted.

Negative Qualities:

Ma'kine has no concept of life or death. To the winged man, there exists either Stasis or Change. For you are able to move and breathe, but then you are not. First you are an animated life-form, then you become food for the ground. Due to this, he doesn't understand grief or fear of mortality. He will always be, in one form or another. Why others fear this change, he cannot understand.

Ma'kine is excessively secretive of his origins, and only he knows where he came from. This secretiveness leads to him being cold to others who pry too much into his past. He does not see why anyone wants to know where the winged Shinigami came from, but he guards it jealously.

Ma'kine is incredibly possessive and furnishes his small home richly. His rugs and books, he does not stand for any dirt or damage to come to them. He also has expensive tastes in food, making it incredibly hard to go anywhere with him, as he simply refuses to eat "common-folk" food. If it is not one of his meals, made himself, it is "common-folk", even if it is served by Nobles.

Ma'kine lacks political ambition, which while not bad, puts him at a Seat far below where he should be. While he can hold his own against some if not most Captains, he remains at the Sixth Seat, and shows no motivation to move any higher. To Ma'kine, he is Seated perfectly, able to talk with moderate respect to Captains, but low enough to handle even routine duties. He's not high enough to be swamped with paper-work, but nor is he doing countless rounds in the Gotei running errands.

He also has a tendency to get up-in-your-face when he feels slighted or mistreated. He works with the Gotei Thirteen not out of loyalty to the Royal family, nor for an inborn need to protect the innocent. He does it simply because he can and it gives him access to whatever he wants, including his own home. Though for a long time he was subjected to suspicion and nearly thrown into the Nest of Maggots, he has proved himself valuable and a hard worker, though he only works hard enough to maintain what he desires. He knows who to appeal to to keep or gain, and has learned it is better to have few powerful allies and step on the toes of many lessers than it is to have a multitude of weaker friends but anger authority.

Likes:

Ma'kine surrounds himself with expensive things. Books, furniture, food. His library, despite its small size compared to others, is worth a small fortune. He claims that each meal he eats is worth half its weight in gold. Where he gets the money, as his Shinigami Salery would surely not cover it, is a mystery. He claims it comes from "back home".

Ma'kine craves knowledge, especially what the Gotei considers forbidden or too dangerous. He constantly seeks the oldest, most powerful or complex of knowledge that many don't even know exists. He does this not out of desire for ultimate power, but curiousity. He dislikes not knowing, but dislikes the idea of 'lost knowledge' even more.

The male likes all things avian or dealing with fire, particularily stars. He enjoys watching the stars at night, because they are what he believes in; Stasis and Change. They look the same for time eternal, but are constantly changing in reality, many have even ceased to be by the time their light reached his eyes.

Ma'kine likes mythology, in part because he feels immortalized by their mythologies. He claims it is because a living Human witnessed him flying in the sky that the myth of the Garuda in Hinduism came to be. And from there, it spread into other cultures eventually into Japanese history. His home has a painting of The Karura, a diety with the head of a bird and body of a man. He has two statues of the Garuda outside his front door, seven feet high and made of stone.

Metals and gemstones have taken a... Prideful likeness for the winged humanoid. His mountain has vast stores of gems and gold to this day, which he routinely adds to by mining when he sneaks away from the city proper. He himself does not see the value in the gold bricks or hunks of crystal, but he sells them to those who do to purchase the luxeries in his home, including his very costly meals.

Ma'kine has a fondness for the Baozhai family for "getting him on his feet". With their help, he was able to join the Shinigami and become a fighter. Though time and his skills made him drift far from the 11th Division, long held as the Baozhai family's closest Division, he frequently tries doing favors for both the Division and Family, as he had in the past. Frequently, he has watched the Heads of the Baozhai and the Division from afar, admiring and comparing them to their forefathers.

Dislikes:

Snakes are despised by Ma'kine. To him, the only good snake is one served in its own blood, with powdered bones for seasoning and a cup of steaming venom tea. Living snakes may be the highest most hated thing for Ma'kine, but they're a delicacy as well.

Ma'kine dislikes others encrouching on his property. This includes damaging his goods, entering his home uninvited or simply being in his sky. Ma'kine, since learning that a distortion of his image was worshipped as the King of all Birds, has claimed the sky as his turf and is personally offended when others fly through his "area".

Ma'kine dislikes vulgarity, but is not above teasing or occassional violence. He believes that in the prescence of a lady, whether friend or foe or complete stranger, one must speak with "clean, respectful" language, even if it is not said to the lady in question. Those who cuss in the lady's prescence annoy Ma'kine greatly. When it is a lady- he considers all females, regardless of age, to be ladies- herself who cusses, he responds with variations of "Beautiful girls should have equally beautiful language".

Ma'kine dislikes being looked down upon due to his rank. When a higher officer attempts to belittle him, it aggrivates the avian. Ma'kine will usually go on to remind the officer it is his choice to remain sixth seat, waiting for a "better time" to accept a promotion or transfer. Usually this leads to others believing he was never offered advancement, as he's held his Seat for longer than most of the common Shinigami have lived.

Ma'kine has no fears, for if you're not afraid of death why be afraid of anything else. But, he dislikes humans and Shinigami for being riddled with fear. To Ma'kine, they have unlimited fears among their kinds, so when he meets one who is not fearful, he admires them.

Ma'kine dislikes the binding-ness of clothes. He hates that his wings are stuck to his back while in full uniform, unable to spring out as he pleases without damaging the black garment beyond repair. He prefers his other outfits, and under normal conditions refuse to go to "formal" events that require suits. The exception is when asked by a lady, in which case he cannot refuse.

Personal Habits: Ma'kine has many habits that he doesn't keep secret. First and foremost is his fondness for keeping secrets. Among those who know the very old Shinigami, he is said to have volumes worth of personal secrets entrusted to him, as well as his own history of which he never shares.

Ma'kine also makes a habit of killing anything serpent-shaped that crosses his path. Snake is a delicacy for the Soul Reaper, and he spares no parts. As it is so expensive to have cooked in its entirety, he prefers to kill his own meals. His home has two snakes that he claims are centuries old whenever he has visitors. However, any who has visited his home more than once will claim those snakes never live longer than a few breeding seasons.

Ma'kine frequently is shirtless. He says it is to give his wings a break from their tension. However, the way he eyes those around him hints that perhaps he simply likes to be seen, regardless of whom or what by.

Ma'kine's most used phrase is "Humans are such confusing creatures." He has recently stopped trying so hard to sound and act human. He lets terms like hatch-ling, mate and breed come into his speach far more in the last few centuries.

Ma'kine also has made it a habit to collect anything unique. If its one of a kind, he will pay huge sums of money or pull in any favors he is owed to possess the unique item or thing. Ma'kine especially likes the things not quite approved by the Gotei.

Goals:

Short-term Goals: Ma'kine's short term goals practically do not exist, as he frequently makes them up on the spot as oppertunity arrives. The way Ma'kine views it, he's so ancient and long-lived that anything that can be done in five years is practically day shopping.

The only constant goals he has is to aid the 5th Division, 11th Division and Baozhai family at every oppertunity.

Long-term Goals: The longest goal for the winged man has been his goal since learning of its existance: Enter and read every book in the Daireishokairō, the Great Spirit Library. As even Captains aren't privy to all that goes on in there, he expects at least another fourty centuries will be needed before he gains entrance legally. Until then, he makes due reading everything he finds laying around in the many Barracks and Division headquarters. Especially those books found laying inside safes and heavily warded.

Eventually, he plans to accept promotions upwards to Captaincy. He's held his seat longer than most Captains have lived since he joined. However, he only plans to move upwards when he meets those who are better allies than his current ones. Generally, power associates with power, that is what he learned.

Ma'kine also has a very longstanding... Respect, not quite loyalty, to the Baozhai family. Since becoming a member of the Gotei, he has endevored to ensure all of their endevours succeed. He watches the head of the family from afar often, hoping to somehow pay the family back for ensuring he joined the Gotei. In the past 65 centuries, he hasn't yet thought of a way to prove that useful.

General Personality: Ma'kine is a man who prefers solitude, yet craves adventure. Not the 'quest to save the world/princess/get treasure' adventure, but adventures of intellect. Explore things nobody has seen in centuries, go where no others have tread before. He desires to know things, but wishes to keep that knowledge to himself. Ma'kine makes friends not for the sake of being with them, but for the advantage of knowing them. Very few impress him enough for him to actively seek their companionship.

Some would call him cold, as his policy of Stasis or Change leaves him misunderstanding or completely not understand what others think or feel. Ma'kine doesn't understand why others grieve at a death. First they were, now they aren't. That's how he understands it. He akins it to Hollows; first they were sentient humans, now they are beasts. If they live long enough, they'll become sentient again. And if a Hollow dies, it merely changes to a human in Soul Society. By his logic, nothing is ever gained or lost, merely changed. You did not 'make' a vase. You beat and forced clay into the desired shape then turned wood into ash and heat to turn the clay hard.

As he does not understand the concept of death, he does not understand life the way others do. He was alive yesterday. He's alive today. He most likely will be tomorrow. Nothing changed. Why celebrate the act of nothing? He was alive six thousand years ago, he most likely will be alive for another six thousand. And the six thousand after that. And the next. To him, there is nothing but Stasis and Change. Will he be unchanged for eighteen-thousand years? He does not know, though he believes it. And even if he dies and comes back, his molecules exist somewhere, in another form. So, in that way, he is eternal. Static, always has been. Even in change, he exists.

This is not to say he is without feelings. He can feel the full range of human emotion, but largely choses to ignore his own feelings, except curiosity, pride, hunger or, very rarely, rage. He rarely rages, and only at the prospect of truly lost knowledge, such as someone taking a spell to their grave.

Ma'kine views others in terms of usefullness. He believes all relationships are governed by a 'what can they do for me' philosphy. His Captain can get him connections, promotions, knowledge and skills. Those of lower rank than himself can do work or spy for him, or deliver messages. The Gotei as a whole is a place to earn knowledge and skills and powers. He does try not to manipulate others to his benefit, but has been known to 'suggest' friends for other people, or propose alliances with other members in different Divisions.

Ma'kine, due to his beliefs, has no fear of death. But he is also not reckless. He'd rather retreat from battle than lose. It is advantagous to regroup than lose for good.

Something Special: Ma'kine is, as far as he is aware, the last of his species. Also, Ma'kine's whole species possess raptor level vision and bat-like hearing. Along with his superior senses, his lightweight bones and powerful wings enable him true flight. As aforementioned, his wings have three segements.

The Power

Shinigami

Zanpakutō Name:Infanaruasshu Tori

Zanpakutō Name Translation: Infernal Ash Bird

Sealed Zanpakutō: Sealed, Infanaruasshu Tori takes the form of a multi-bladed knife. The handle is thick and heavy, supporting a foot and a quarter inch blade that curves down then back up, and a much slimmer blade that follows the lower with the quarter inch gap between it. Both blades begin at the same point but turn into separate blades two and a half inches from the handle. The larger lower blade has the edge on the bottom of the blade, while the thinner knife has the edge on top. However, both tips are razor sharp. There is a small guard on the knife, really more of a bulge between blade and handle, from which two more blades emerge, on the left and right sides, in the center of the vertical height. These blades are medium thickness and go three quarters of the way up the blade, leaving half an inch from the other two blades' sides. These two blades are sharp both on the inside and outer edges.

Infanaruasshu Tori has a blueish color in the metal, as if steel and sky had fused. The handle is colored wood, black with reddish-white pinpricks all over of varying degrees of intensity. If the blades are the daytime sky met with metal, the handle is wood infused with a starry night.

Release Phrase: Reincarnate, Infanaruasshu Tori

Shikai Appearance: In Shikai, the knife erupts into flame then turns to ash. As the ash gets caught by a breeze, it flows around Ma'kine's right fist, between and around his legs before blowing in a thin but huge circle behind his back. As the circle is completed, it once more ignites, become a living fire that engulfs his lower body, fist and creates a burning 'halo' behind him. This halo swells and pulsates with blackish red flames before moving inwards on itself and forming a Ma'kine-sized star. This star moves behind him constantly, always the same distance. It has no gravitational pull until it is directly touched, nor does it give off heat. The heat and pull are felt solely by the touch-er. The flames of his attacks all come from the star first, moving as he needs them.

Shikai Ability: Most obviously, it gives Ma'kine fire manipulation and immunity, but it also creates and controls a star. The Shikai itself is the star, and all the flames are taken from it. As such, they burn with the intensity of solar flares. The star is bound to Ma'kine and he to it. They are bound by the flames on his legs and fist, unquenchable by conventional means. Losing the fire on his body causes the star to drift, until he catches it and reignites the flames. It is his equivalent of dropping his weapon.

Bankai Name:Eien no Ribaibinguraputā, "Eternal Reviving Raptor"

Bankai Appearance: After releasing his Bankai, the star behind Ma'kine turns dark, the flames getting a cracked appearance. With a sound like a thousand birds chirping, the star splits down the middle, hatching a massive bird of fire. It is many times the size of the star, comparable to the bird Shinigami use for executions. This one however is a dark red color, streaked with black. While it does not burn with the intensity of the Shikai after being touched, it's heat evaporates the water in its vicinity, leaching it out of everything it touches. The bird has two eagle-like heads, side by side, each with several feet of burning beak. The streaks of black form from these breaks, moving all the way down to the tail, which is nearly half as long again as the body. Each mouth of the bird has huge teeth lining the beaks, and a forked tongue which glides over the beaks as if anticipating a good meal. The legs are immense, ending huge clawed feet. Each foot has four claws, three at the from and one on the heel. The claws burn white flames that are nearly invisible. Each wing is along arms akin to humans, giving the bird the ability to grab and grapple with human-like hands, while remaining with a wing-length capable of lifting the nearly ninety feet high body. Despite being made entirely of star-fire, it can touch physical things.

Strangely, aspects of the Bankai's previous forms remain. In Bankai, Ma'kine regains his sealed sword, which now is engulfed in black fire. The flames that were on his lower body remain, but have moved upward to cover all but his head, and burn the same intense white as the bird's own claws.

Bankai Ability: While in Bankai, Ma'kine can direct the creature with thought alone. While the beast exists, the flames on his body and sword continually burn. If the bird is destroyed, his flames vanish. However, Ma'kine gains the power to breathe this star-fire, enabling him to continually revive the bird as long as he is able to breathe enough flame to re-create the creature. The intensity of his fire is so great, all but the most powerful water and ice abilities evaporate in his presence even without the bird nearby. Ma'kine claims the phoenix has the ability to "remember" those it personally kills. It can remember three individuals and any abilities it saw. However, this is a slight fudging of the truth. In fact, those slain by the bankai as absorbed into it, trapping them within Ma'kine's Inner World. He is able to "swap out" Eien no Ribaibinguraputā for one of the Souls he has trapped and use the abilities he witnessed and "truly knows". Souls he traps reside in the mansion of his Inner World.

Eien no Ribaibinguraputā:

The Spirit

Spirit Appearance:Infanaruasshu Tori takes on the appearance of a harpy, though pretty in appearance. She may be young, early adolescent in appearance, she radiates a regal, princess-like prettiness that states that if she was to grow up, she would be serenely beautiful, goddess-like.

She has arm-wings that are slender and soft, evidence of her lack for doing any lifting, with palest ivory skin. Her feathers are every shade of red, shimmering and glossy. Not one feather is ever out of line. Her face is soft, with full lips and a small, slightly upturned nose. Her eyes are like Ma'kine's, swirls of color around a black spot of pupil. Like Ma'kine, her neck is smaller than one would think. Her body still has the softness of baby-fat, though she is tall for her appeared age and thin. Like most harpies, she is shirtless, exposing her youthful body.

Infanaruasshu Tori's lower body has human shaped legs covered is feathers, ending in bird-like feet. Her lower body resembles an eagle. These feathers are dark tones, shades of black, brown and ruby. She has no tail feathers or tail, but a youthful, girly rear. She wears no pants but dons wooden shoes with silken rope over and between her toes, holding the flat wood in place.

When in Bankai, Eien no Ribaibinguraputā ages to nearly Ma'kine's age. She is taller than him, and has shed any baby-fat she had. She has long hair, as opposed to her younger form's pixie cut, shades and tints of white. Her hair is in a thick plaited braid down her back. Her feathers are more vibrantly colored, her skin softer and full of life. She is bustier than as a child, who already had a full appearance. The royal harpy wears a full body robe, silk in appearance, that covers her arms and legs save her hands and feet. It is tied at mid-stomach by a black sash over the red robe, leaving the chest dangerously open and exposing much but not too much.

Spirit Personality: As a child, Infanaruasshu Tori positively burns with energy, constantly on the move, soaring through cloud and field alike. The Spirit is playful, with a tougher exterior that feigns not caring what others think, but at the same time craving positive attention. She is hard on herself, but brims with joy when complimented. She acts as if she's better than all others in an attempt to be liked. While it's clear she is trying to be 'tough and cool like Ma'kine', she is very easy to read her thoughts. Her thoughts exist on her face that is very expressive despite her attempts to remain distant. She is playful in the way children are, wanting to play games or 'hang out' with Ma'kine. Though she never voices it, she wishes there was others in her Inner World, who would be sisterly to her.

As an adult, Eien no Ribaibinguraputā has perfected her coldness, relying only on herself. She carries herself as a queen and expects others to view her as such. While she is beautiful in appearance, she wouldn't let any man, woman or beast near her. She keeps all away from herself, including Ma'kine. When she speaks, her voice carries resentment and cold anger at the world. It is as if she finally accepted the emptiness of her Inner World, and now hates those who intrude on her space. She no longer flies freely through cloud or field, but sits atop the center of this world, atop the live volcano, living in a black mansion over the pool of lava. She does not share her power equally and freely as her child self had done, but rather gives Ma'kine what he needs and asks him to go with it.

Inner World: The Inner World for Ma'kine and his blade is a flat, grassy feild covered sporadically in lakes. The sky is eternally true noon, with a bright burning sun. Clouds drift lazily over the terrain. In the center of this world rises a volcano that would cause any on Earth to appear as anthills. No clouds exist within miles of it. The volcano is a dark, craggy stone, uneven with no sure way to the top by foot. The sun is centered over this monster of a fire mountain. At the top of the volcano, dark stone bridges lead to a massive black platform, atop which the mansion sits. The mansion looks as if it contains infinite rooms, and the outside has gardens. Looking over the side of the bridges reveal the lava and magma roiling not far enough away.

In Bankai, the sky turns dark fills with stars. The sun is now a black burning thing. The lakes dry up, the lava hisses and bubbles eagerly. The clouds are so thick and bunched around the volcano, the sky can only be seen from the mansion. At times, the entire world quakes as if the eruption will happen just then. It never does.

Last edited by Ma'kine on Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:37 pm; edited 7 times in total

(Due to the long span of time, events are summerized and only the most important years of every few centuries are highlighted. Changes in position or address are only mentioned if they are significant to the remainder of the section. Ma'kine has never gone significant amounts of time without revisting his old home; assume he has returned many times between sections)

History: It would be impossible to tell the story of Ma'kine starting from his birth. To tell that story, one needs to go farther back, an unknown time farther. A time when Soul Society's Rukon District was not devolving into slums. A time when the land beyond the great city was untamed.

For, far from Rukon's outer edge, beyond untamed forests, rivers, mountains, and untold other wilderness, beyond the home of Werewolves and beasts, a single great mountain rose. It stood alone, far from any range. Officially, anything outside the Seireitei is Rukon, but the city had yet to conquore this far. Many years into the future, Ma'kine believes the city never will. But here in the past, the mountain is already home to a species.

The way werewolves are part man, part beast and dwell in the lower hills, this mountain is home to a small community of not completely human lifeforms. These creatures soar through the air and hunt from above. They claim to be as old as the city itself- for yes, these beings knew of the city- but whether that is true or not, nobody can know. On their mountain, the creatures, proud beings who were masters of their domain, ruled for time untold, passing their knowledge from one to the next. They knew nothing of secrets. They shared all. Food, knowledge, homes.

They spoke their own language, one now lost, and had names for everything. The creatures had human bodies, but huge wings and feathered legs. They hunted by hand and wing, pitying Shinigami with their swords and inability to fly. The Shinigami could not see as they did, not feel the air as they did. They were... Different.

For generations, these winged beings lived atop the mountain. They had carved there homes into the face of the mountain itself. A small village, all built from solid mountain. When the storms came, the stones kept them dry. When the winter came, their fireplaces warmed them. They built tools, first from wood, then stone. Then the creatures sought metal to better build their homes. They copied the metal-working on the City, so far from their mountain. But they could not find the brown or silver veins they needed. Only yellow, soft metal could be found in their mountain. The males of the village dug miles of tunnels into the mountain, finding nothing but soft yellow metal. It could not break stone the way they needed, could not protect against attack. It was, for the people, useless. But they followed the city's example, making brick after brick of yellow metal, hidden deep within the mountain. They guarded it not because it was useful, but because those who lived in the largest homes in the City guarded it.

The males flew to mountains and hills in search of the thing the City dwellers called "Iron". It was hard. It was strong. It was dug out, flewn back to their mountain, and melted and forged. First the houses, bare stone, were covered in iron plates, patterned after the scales of the creatures they fed upon. Iron scales protected the stone, then they created 'Doors', a concept they had seen in the city. Why would one shut out their own kind? They did not understand, but they copied it.

The village never grew large, despite prosperity. Their kind did not mate often. During the final hunts of the year, many died, as always had. But with this 'Iron' and "Steel" they created armor, thin scales that covered the front and left the back open. It was called a Vastech. One hunter wearing this was protected from frontal attack. Being masters of the sky, nothing dared attack them from behind.

And so it went. The City grew larger in time. The village remained small, distant, but always watching. A child had recently been born, the only one that year. The hunts were getting dangerous, as they had to search farther for the same amount of food. The child was brought up from birth that, as a male of his kind, he would toil away in the mines of their mountain, in search of better metals. The boy only found more soft yellow metal; nothing but gold grew in that mountain. By the time the boy was a man, having learned everything about his kind and the City they observed from afar, with its men dressed in black and weilding swords of metal ruled by soldiers and four large families, there was nothing left in the mountain to mine.

Shortly after the man created barriers to protect the massive gold bar room, using the valuable iron to create poles and locks and doors for protection, disaster struck his people. Try as he might, the man would never forget what happened on that coldest day of winter. A rift had opened in the sky, a large black thing, as if the sky was hatching a huge creature. From that rift, a monsterous black giant came forth. It was many times higher than any of the winged people. It had white hands and huge pointed feet. A long, beak-shaped nose stuck out from its face.

The warriors of the village, glorified hunters really, fell one by one to this thing. The Vastechs offered no protection to its beams of fire or crushing hands. The man knew the beast was decimating his people. Men and women rushed it, armed solely with protective Vastechs, but this man knew they would all perish against it. So he fled, deep into the mines of the mountain. The man half-ran, half-flew deeper and deeper down the narrowing tunnels. He wrenched open the bars, doors and barriers and crawled into his people's 'vault'. He stayed there for a very, very long time.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

How much time passed, the man did not know. The beast's steps shook the mountain for a long time before it stopped. The man's stomach hungered. His long, hard muscles cramped from sleeping on metal bricks. His wings ached, needing to be stretched. The man was young by his peoples standards, not having been given a name yet. As he emerged from under the mountain, he was faced with decimation. The iron-clad stone homes were crushed. He searched and searched by could find no bodies, only feathers, blood and a single broken Vastech. It was torn badly and appeared half eaten.

The man, shocked by what had happened, tried his best to remain on the mountain, in hopes that his people had fled and would return. Many winters passed alone on the mountain, rebuilding the village by himself, recarving the houses and plating them in iron, creating pathways from home to home, painstakingly carving each door from wood to the best of his memory. One door had flowers along the border, another birds, another scales pushed into the surface... The man hunted, built and mined by himself. If he hungered, he hunted. If he grew cold, he built fire. When he was restless, he dug deeper into the mines, discovering hard clear crystals of multitudes of colors. He carried them, whole or in part, by foot back up the mines to his people's vault. His vault, now. It had to be made bigger many times, until a new level was carved by the man.

He watched the City, as his father had done. And his father's father before that. He understood that the biggest homes were the leaders. Those in black, warriors. Those outside the inner city, common-folk. And in time, the man realized that his people were gone. He was the last, he believed. A man without a name, speaking a language only he knew. He had repaired the Vastech he found, and wore it constantly. The man named himself Ma'kine, meaning something akin to Final One, or Undying. Ma'kine would make sure that his kind were not forgotten, using any method possible.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Protected by the Vastech that he had repaired, upon which he wrote in his now lost language characters meaning "Death from Above", Ma'kine flew to the City. He flew to the outer edges, tucking his wings close to his back and walking into what was called Rukon, he observed the citizens from far enough away not to be spotted but close enough to observe.

These... Humans, Souls, wore clothes over their bodies. The larger the homes, the more beautiful the clothes. As he watched, he knew that he wanted to be like those in the beautiful clothing. They moved the way he did; with power. Authority. They stood tall. Especially those who carried swords and wore black. His people knew swords, but never had them. Why cut something if you'll merely eat it? It was a stupid thing to do. But these were going to be the ones he needed to observe.

For the next hundred winters, Ma'kine observed. Learned the language, the way they walked and greeted each other. Ma'kine stole robes to cover himself, white robes that felt awkward on his wings as they were compacted along his spine. The robes extended to the floor despite his height. They covered his feet. But even his feet were clothed, slipped into wooden shoes. He could walk as the black robbed Souls, Shinigami they called themselves, talk their language.

But, he needed to live as they did. So, he slipped into Rukon one night, dressed in robe, shoes and Vastech underneath. Other than his "accent" as the people called his speach, they could not tell he was an outsider. Two hundred years after he had decided to go to the City, Ma'kine felt ready. He was still ignorant of the Shinigami, however. They rarely left the innermost part of the City. He knew not their leaders. But, as a drunk man informed him many moons ago, the most ruthless, savage, war incarnate of the Houses was Baozhai, a Noble Family who prided themselves on strength. Ma'kine was strong, undeniably so. He radiated power practically from centuries of mining, flying and hunting. His presence could warm a room practically.

So, not knowing what else to do as Rukon proved to be getting him no knew knowledge, Ma'kine set out to find himself a Nobleman to talk with.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

6,500 years ago

Ma'kine needed some time to locate the closest Baozhai Manor, in the newest slum of Rukongai, the 60th on the South side. However, slum was putting it lightly. The moment Ma'kine emerged, having landed lightly in an alleyway not far from the perimeter, the bird-man was attacked by two men who reeked of spirits.

The drunken men claimed he was a monster and needed to be "slaughtered" to keep others away. As he was shoved from one to the other, Ma'kine began to get irritated. How dare these drunks even touch him! Wheeling to the man on his left, Ma'kine clobbered him with a massive fist. He was easily a foot and a half taller than either man, and centuries of mining hardened his muscles. The man's head turned very sharply and he went sailing into a wall. The other man took the oppertunity to smash a barrel into the giant winged man's back.

Ma'kine hissed in pain as his wings took the blow. His body felt hot, hotter than its ever felt. His anger was building at these drunks. But they poured from the building, a bar really, that the first drunk had smashed into. Ten, twelve big drunk men. One sober, aggrevated winged giant of a man. They fought there was safety in numbers. The fools! Had they no eyes? Not only were they fighting him without reason, they didn't even know his first punch had given that man a pernament dirt nap.

The fighting continued, with Ma'kine always having an enemy at his back. For each time he knocked one flying, another was pounding his wings. The longer the fight dragged on, the more people arrived and the hotter the area became. Many of the fighters attributed it to the mass of bodies. But it actually radiated from Ma'kine himself. His Reiryoku had been seeping out of him the entire fight, unknown to him or the drunks. But the longer the fight lasted, the more poured out, heating the area considerably.

Ma'kine's sharp eyes and bat-like hearing picked up on a black robed Warrior standing atop a building near the fight. Watching as Ma'kine held his own, somehow, against over ten men. The man was speaking to another, one the far side. Wondering how long before the 'winged beast' goes down. As if! Did those warriors think they were Ma'kine's betters? That they could possibly hold a candle to his radiance? He, the Undying? Ma'kine's fury boiled at that.

Turning to the last man to lay a finger upon his figure, Ma'kine brought both fists crashing down onto the top of the man's head, a clear killing-intending blow. However, it had unexpected consequences. The moment the man's head touched his fists, Ma'kine heard a crackling noise and a 'woosh' before everything within fifty feet of his body, animate or inanimate, erupted in flames. Those nearest him were completely burned away before Ma'kine's vision had even cleared enough to see. The flames blasted the area, licking at charred remains of buildings up and down the street. Only ash remained of the drunkards.

With much shouting, black robed warriors began running towards the source, the uninjured Ma'kine. They talked about slaying the man-beast, how he must have been sent to attack Lord Baozhai's Manor. Ma'kine tried to explain, but the men were on him, and thugs not unlike those he had just fought, were coming to join. A sword bit into his arm, cutting the tattered robe more. Furious, Ma'kine grabbed the blade, yanking the Shinigami with it. Straight into his other fist. Three warriors and a number of menacing low-lifes. One warrior down.

However, exhaustion was taking its toll. Ma'kine did not care much for being stabbed, he discovered as a sword imbedded itself in his thigh and the Shinigami was unable to pull it back out. That man was sent up and over the burnt out building to Ma'kine's left. After a few more minutes, sword still deep into his leg, Ma'kine eventually succumbed.

His body was dragged to the Manor by the mercanary men while the warrior went to aid the other two. His bird vision went black. The last thing he noticed was his shoes falling off before it went dark.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ma'kine found himself bound to a post, forced into a kneeling position in the middle of a courtyard. His wings were bound by thick ropes tied around his torso, his arms wretched backward and wrists tied behind the post. As were his ankles. He was slung slightly forward on his knees. As he raised his head, he saw five men facing him. Four of the men wore black uniforms of the warriors, while the last wore a white garment over his. The four others flanked the white one, two on each side and a pace and a half behind. All five carried long, curved swords at their sides.

Overhead, the moon was getting low in the sky again. Dawn would break soon. As Ma'kine noted that fact, the white robed man began to question him. Who was he? Who sent Ma'kine to attack the Baozhai Manor? Was Ma'kine crazy enough to think a single man, unarmed, could hope to fight the Baozhai? How much was he being paid? What was Ma'kine, some type of hollow without a mask? (This question confused Ma'kine. What would a empty space need with a mask?) How did Ma'kine know that Lord Sutāshainingu Baozhai was at the Manor? It was not announced until that very night. Did Ma'kine have spies inside the Manor? What did he hope to gain from assassinating the Lord Baozhai?

And so it went. The sun was high in the sky by the time Ma'kine was done being drilled and accused of attacking the Noble House of Baozhai. Hours of explaining that he had no intention of fighting, that he had no clue the Lord was even there, that he was alone and meant no ill will. The Lord Baozhai, as this man told Ma'kine he was, had finally relented that it was a drunk's fight gotten far out of hand, though he was still fascinated by the burst of fire.

Finally, hours after the interrigation, Lord Baozhai asked what Ma'kine was doing at the Manor in the first place. Ma'kine explained through a hoarse voice that he came seeking to be made a warrior, like the black robed men behind him. His request was met with laughter. Angry, Ma'kine shouted that he was stronger than those warriors from the night before; he was a hard worker and he hadn't spent centuries learning human behavior to be denied. If Lord Baozhai declined him, he would seek other Nobles! When his laughter abated, the Lord said that he was not in charge of who became a Soul Reaper or not. He merely led one Division- Eleven, he called it. But the avian had impressed the Lord. He witnessed the drunks attacking him, how Ma'kine fought three Shinigami and twelve of his thugs before finally going down.

And so, Lord Baozhai ordered him freed from the post. With a short order to the men on his right, the duo knelt before Ma'kine and held out their palms. A soft green light emitted from their palms and after a few moments, the pain in his thigh ceased. As he looked, Ma'kine saw his injuries were gone.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ma'kine stayed with Lord Baozhai that day, discussing why he chose to reveal himself. Ma'kine explained to this Baozhai that his origins were his own secret, but that there was no future back there. He explained that he wanted to join the Shinigami, believing it was controlled by the Nobles. He wanted to be a soldier, he said. He would even take up a sword if it was required of him.

Lord Sutāshainingu Baozhai explained that he saw promise in the man. He told Ma'kine that the flames that incinerated the street were the release of Reiryoku, Spirit Energy that exists in all living things. When Ma'kine was fighting, that energy became untapped, and burst outward. From the reaction of it, Ma'kine likely had a strong association with the Fire Element. That display convinced the Baozhai that he would need to get Ma'kine in training, as after it is released, it will only continue burning everything around him whether Ma'kine wanted it to or not.

Lord Baozhai stated that Nobles weren't in direct control, but had strong influences. The Gotei, the name for all the Divisions of Shinigami, answered to the Captain Commander solely, who only needed to obey the Soul Queen and carry out and enforce the laws of Soul Society. Ma'kine learned that the current Gotei was small, inhabiting the Inner City, while the rest of the city was Rukongai. All members of the Gotei were required to go through the Academy, known by the dinizens of Rukon District as Shinigami Institute. It was a school that taught all members of the Gotei, Assassination Squad and Kido Corps. Kido was magic used by Shinigami, in which the Corps were directly responsible to discovering and creating new spells. It was Kaido, the healing way, that fixed his injuries. The other paths of Kido were Bakudo, the binding way, and Hado, the destruction way.

But, the Eleventh that Baozhai led were in need of more Shinigami. They were the main offensive branch of the Gotei, specializing in melee combat. If Ma'kine was willing... Lord Baozhai said he was willing to flex his influence to speed the process along to make him a member of the Eleventh Division. He was big, and strong as Ma'kine earlier stated. The Eleventh Division was always in need of powerful men.

Ma'kine was elated. Under Lord Baozhai's direction, he was placed into the Academy. Ma'kine needed to learn Soul Society's history properly, the Nobleman said, and the ways of Shinigami could not be learned by simple mimicry. The Academy was open to all who wished to join, but you needed power like what Ma'kine displayed to gain studentship.

Ma'kine's first year at the Academy was filled with ettiquet and history, learning to speak, walk and dress properly. He was given a uniform for male students, who he saw came from all walks of life. However, he was still larger and stood out plainly in any crowd. His height, eyes and strange accent set him apart. He was given a long sword like what the rest had, told he would spend every moment with it. He would eat with the sword, walk to class with it, sleep with it in his arms. And in time, his soul would impart itself onto the blade and mold the nameless sword into what is called a Zanpakuto. Upon becoming a Zanpakuto, he would then meditate and strive to achieve Shikai. And if he was lucky, one day he might even get a Bankai.

Ma'kine needed six years to pass the four year school. It was not due to lack of skills needed for regular Shinigami duties. It was because he couldn't understand the concepts of human behavior. Why they did the things they did. How there was worlds beyond this one that he would need to protect in the future. It became clear that Ma'kine's species did not think the way humans did. Shinigami needed to maintain balance, they said. That is why they only killed a few Hollows, not every Hollow. Some losses were nessisary for balance. It took him some time to grasp the concept that if you die in Soul Society, you go to the Human world as a blank slate. And souls rescued from there come here. But, while he struggled with the history and behavior parts, he proved top class in his combat classes. He had a massive store of Reiryoku the Gotei rarely saw. His sword didn't merely cut, he devasted. His spells packed incredible power.

The two courses that will stick through his nearly immortal life were Ettiquet and Behaviors with the Opposite Sex and Advanced War Stretegy, both elective courses on the verge of being removed entirely. The manners he learned will shape his behavior around women for tens of centuries, though in a broader scope than was taught. While he was taught how to behave in front of a Lady of Nobility, he took the course to refer to all females, regardless of species. He learned that the best Captains knew the strengths and weaknesses of every member in their Division. They needed to know who was holding the group back, and who could carry the Division by themselves. He studied feverishly to master this ability. He began to watch his classmates. Who was the leader of a circle of friends? Who held them together in tough times and who was most dangerous to the groups cohesion. In his combat classes, he would mentally partner students together, running over their skills and talents in his mind.

Advanced War Stretegy claimed teamwork was best done in small groups. This is why the Gotei was in Divisions. Each Division has a specialty, and each member worked best at that specialty. Within the Division, the Captain and Leitenent oversaw multitudes of platoons and squads. The Gotei was made up of many individuals, partnered with one to five others, making up squads. Groups of squads formed a platoon. And all the platoons together formed a Division. All thirteen formed the Gotei Thirteen, called by some as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It took a mighty leader to command such a large force, and that was the Captain Commander, Commander to all Twelve other Captains. Traditionally, the Captain Command was Captain of the First Division.

Over the six years that Ma'kine was a student, he made a single trip, with four others of his class, to the Human World. They were accompanied by a Soul Reaper from the Thirteenth Division, who specialized in watching over the Human World by stationing Soul Reapers around the Human World to track Souls in need of Konso, and slay Hollows. The students watched the Soul Reaper perform Konso, which he demenstrated again after the Soul of an old lady passed on. The very end all all the swords used by Shinigami had a symbol eteched into them. Pressing it to the forehead of the Soul absolves them of most sins and allows passage into Soul Society. The young Ma'kine asked the Soul Reaper what happens when not all sin can be absolved. He said the soul eventually becomes a monsterous Hollow if left unattended, or the Konso sends them into Hell. Ma'kine learned that no Shinigami knew about the inner works of Hell. It was forbidden knowledge.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Decades passed. After graduation, Ma'kine became a member of the Eleventh Division. For the first time since his people perished, he had a home. It was not far from the Barracks for the Eleventh Division. He bought it in gold and purchased rugs and furnishings that under his care stand the test of time. Also for the first time, Ma'kine had friends, allies.

The friendship blossomed in struggle, as most good things do. Ma'kine and three other unseated Shinigami like himself were to accompany a Thirteenth Division Seated Officer to the human world, fourty four years after he graduated. They were traveling to what is now southern India, in an attempt to kill a large Hollow that preyed on children.

However, as the group of five moved in on the location the Huge Hollow was said to be, they learned their information was false. For as the Seventeenth Seat of Division Thirteen sliced through the Hollow's head while Ma'kine and the rest held it in place with their swords, two other snake Hollows attacked and killed the Officer. Ma'kine hadn't even officially learned his name. The four Shinigami fought off the snakes, trying to slay them but the Hollows were faster and had called in three more just like themselves. Each time one died, it seemed more took its place. Outnumbered, a man named Buldor was slain next, though he managed to take a Hollow with him. Ma'kine convinced the remaining two Shinigami to pull back when he saw that there was a human watching. Ma'kine wouldn't have noticed the man if he hadn't cried out as a Hollow lashed for him. The two Shinigami retreated, taking the man with them as Ma'kine tore his clothing away, spreading his wings fully and taking to the air.

Airborne and armed with his sword, Ma'kine would soar upwards then dive down to slash or stab into the monsters masks. Ma'kine saw the Shinigami struggling to hold the man back, as he kept trying to run towards Ma'kine and the Hollows. Ma'kine soared higher than he had the entire fight, hundreds of feet up before bringing his wings in tight. His body turned upside down, plummeting head first back to the Hollows. His sword, a long blade, extended downwards. He had to finish this. He couldn't let another Shinigami or Human die at the hands of these monsters!

As that thought burned through his mind, time stopped. Or it felt as if time had frozen. Ma'kine felt a breeze, but he was suspended in the air. The air became hot around him. A voice spoke, both far away and right behind him. "Do you want the monsters to be burned away," it asked. There was a girly laugh at the end. Of course he did! He wanted them burned to ashes! "Will you stir their ashes and make sure nothing survived?" If thats what he needed to do, of course! "I can burn them all, if you ask. Destroy them, even. We'll play with fire and ash together, Ma'kine. You just need to ask me by name."

And with that, time resumed. As Ma'kine fell, his Reiryoku poured from his blade. The air heated, then burned around him. He fell like a flaming spear from the heavens. His blade burned straight through the middle of the Hollows, the group having quadrupled in size by the time he was in their midst. Then there was a burst of heat that swept outward, reaching far enough away to knock the Human backwards. As he stood back up to see, there was a straight path to Ma'kine, and the air around him rippled with flame and heat. At once, the twenty Hollows convered upon him. They were not strong nor Huge as the first had been on their own, but their numbers were high. As they converged, Ma'kine's voice rang out above their screaching howls. "Reincarnate, Infanaruasshu Tori!"

The Hollows were engulfed in fire, their screams would haunt the human until the day he died, long after he had shared the story of the Garuda, King of the Birds and natural enemy to snakes. Their bodies writhed and burned for a short eternity before collasping into piles of ash. Ma'kine stood alone in the center of the fray, amid all the ash.

His right fist was surrounded by bright flame, as was his entire lower body. The fire around his fist curled around his arm and torso in a chain of flame, joining with the inferno around his legs. It was like a suit of blackish red fire that only covered below the waist and a single hand. From the feet, whisps of fire moved backward connecting to the most prominant part. A sun, black and red, stood behind him. It was compacted to only his size, but it was a ball of flame too alike the one in the sky to be anything else. As he moved, it follows. The flames he wore were pulled directly from that sphere. Reeling backwards, Ma'kine punched the earth at his feet. Fire moved from star, to feet, up his legs, along the chain, through his fist and into the earth. It spread out in a spider-like web, and whenever these threads touched the remaining Hollows, it set them aflame until only ash remained, blown away on the next breeze.

After his display, the Human had turned and ran for his village. By the time he returned with others, only scorch marks remained where the snakes had been. Ma'kine and the two other Shinigami were gone, back to Soul Society.

Ma'kine was celebrated by the two other Shinigami. They told of his fight against all those Hollows and the way he commanded a sphere of pure fire. Whenever another doubted him, a look at his sword quieted them. No longer did he carry the long blade of his nameless sword. He carried a wicked knife unlike any other. The handle is thick and heavy, supporting a foot and a quarter inch blade that curves down then back up, and a much slimmer blade that follows the lower with the quarter inch gap between it. Both blades begin at the same point but turn into separate blades two and a half inches from the handle. The larger lower blade has the edge on the bottom of the blade, while the thinner knife has the edge on top. However, both tips are razor sharp. There is a small guard on the knife, really more of a bulge between blade and handle, from which two more blades emerge, on the left and right sides, in the center of the vertical height. These blades are medium thickness and go three quarters of the way up the blade, leaving half an inch from the other two blades' sides. These two blades are sharp both on the inside and outer edges. Infanaruasshu Tori has a blueish color in the metal, as if steel and sky had fused. The handle is colored wood, black with reddish-white pinpricks all over of varying degrees of intensity. If the blades are the daytime sky met with metal, the handle is wood infused with a starry night.

His sword had taken on the sealed form of its true power. He had taken the first step in unlocking the full power of his sword. Ma'kine now had a name to go with the heavy metal weapon. Infanaruasshu Tori, the Infernal Ash Bird. He was the first among his new friends to learn the name of his Zanpakuto. As Burge said later that day, "A damn good thing he was, too! Or none of us would've made it home from that forsaken place."

Burge was the first human to truly try being Ma'kine's friend. Burge felt that without Ma'kine, he'd be good as dead. A glorious death, but Burge prefered to live to fight another day. The second Shinigami later would become a good friend, inseperable from Ma'kine for centuries. Taskin was a lithe fighter from northern Rukon, who at first resented being rescued until others pointed out that Taskin wouldn't have lived without being saved.

It took time, but Ma'kine eventually had a good number of friends. Fewer than lived in his village, but they were good friends who frequently liked to joke and spar, as well as watch the human ladies and drink deeply from flasks for hours a day. If only Ma'kine realized that the power he obtained that day would be the sole reason he outlived them all...

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

6,100 years ago

The next four centuries passed by quickly. Ma'kine would become a Seated Officer, 20th Seat in his Division. Burge and Taskin still talked to him, Taskin spending nearly every other day visiting him at home with a fresh bottle of booze to share. Alexander, another unseated Shinigami, was another good friend to Ma'kine. But Ma'kine was not without enemies either. A former friend, by name of Kane, had reverted back to his dislike for Ma'kine when he was promoted. In fact, many Shinigami seemed to resent the fact. But Ma'kine was a powerful fighter, with a Shikai under relative control. Those who were jealous of his position normally lacked Shikai.

But Kane didn't. His own Shikai was a large scythe with unknown powers. His Shikai was not yet to the level of Ma'Kine's. But he was angry that Ma'kine got the position. So, when he heard tale that Hollows were converging on a particular Human settlement, along the River Nile, in greater numbers he informed higher Seated Officers that, as the numbers were unusual, Ma'kine should be the best choice to investigate. He could fly and escape, Kane claimed.

Ma'kine was ordered by Lord Baozhai- informed by the Thirteenth Seat- to investigate. Baozhai had remained interested in Ma'kine, but the Lord himself was not young or free enough to investigate. Ma'kine hand selected three of his friends, Burge, Alexander, and a woman named Fir, to accompany him. Burge was heavy set and strong, while Alexander was a master with tools. Fir knew basic Kaido better than Taskin, hence why she was asked to come. Four people, one of whom could use Shikai, was plenty to exterminate Hollows. Ma'kine would've went alone had Lord Baozhai made it clear not to take unnessisary risks.

The settlement was primarily stone houses, really more of a cluster of farmers. But the reports were correct, Hollows swarmed the settlement. Ma'kine's group watched two bipedal fish shaped Hollows roam not far from the riverbank. A large bird Hollow soared low over the houses. Burge said there was at least seven Hollows total. As Fir said, they all appeared to be looking for something. Likely, a human of Spiritual power. Ma'kine felt the power, but it was small. He couldn't locate it.

It was Alexander, normally calm but lately on edge after learning his wife was pregnant with their fourth child, who moved out of position. Ma'kine thought he made it clear they were only to observe for now, but Alexander had rushed the fish Hollows with his sword drawn. Ma'kine ordered Burge to assist Alexander and for Fir to back them up with her Kido. Ma'kine would keep the other Hollows at bay until Alexander and Burge could help finish them off.

The battle was short and bloody. Ma'kine assumed the battle was going well, as he was locked in arial combat with the bird Hollow. He assumed so because he couldn't hear nor see the other six Hollows. Ma'kine had thrown his Zanpakuto so it imbedded itself in the Hollows mask and made a grunt of approval as the beast died and he reclaimed his knife. Fir's screaming is what caused him to turn back to his allies. Alexander's arm hung out of the mouth of the most monstrous Hollow he had even seen. At first he was stunned he hadn't felt it before, but upon attempting to, he found that all six Hollows Spiritual Energy radiated from the beast. It was a conglomerate of fish, boar, crocodile and, for lack of a better term, demon. It's mask was creepily human-like, but some cariture that exagerated the eyes and mouth into an impossibly wide smile. The Smiling Hollow had already eaten Alexander; Burge was pinned under one of its eight legs. Fir had attempted to bind the Hollow using a Geki, a low numbered Bakudo.

Despite himself, Ma'kine smiled. Not one of joy, but rather a sad grim smile. Fir's spell was far too weak to hold the Hollow. The only reason it hadn't moved was because it was digesting Alexander. Swiftly, Ma'kine landed beside the female. Placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, he stepped forward, ordering Burge not to move so much as a centimeter or Ma'kine would personally kick his ass. Ma'kine needed to concentrate.

Eleventh Division was a melee group. Any interest in Kido had to be done on one's own free time, preferably without anyone knowing. "Scattered beast bones! Spire, Crimson Crystal, Steel Wheels! Truth and Temperence, upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!" Beside him, Fir's eyes grew wide. "Hado 63, Rikouhou! Hado 33, Sokatsui!" Bursting from his extended fingers, green lightning, streaming with blue flames erupted and struck the Hollow in the chest. Ma'kine cursed silently. His aim had been way off. The two-fold incantation had worked, but the force of the first spell outweighed the second by too much, causing the blow to hit low. But it was powerful enough to cause the beast the reel, standing on its rear four legs and stumbling backwards. Fir immediately dragged Burge away, back to Ma'kine's side. Looking first to the hole in Burge's body, where a claw must have pinned him to the ground, Ma'kine looked to Fir. She only gave a short, sad shake of her head.

Ma'kine had called for a tactical retreat. Burge was taken to 4th Division while Ma'kine reported to Lord Baozhai. Ma'kine was directly responsible for Alexander's death. As Lord Baozhai reprimanded him, it was only supposed to be observation. They knew nothing of the Hollows, let alone that they had been a single Hollow with the power to divide into seperate bodies. The Smiling Hollow killed Alexander, probably would have killed Fir and gravely wounded Burge. Lord Baozhai moved Ma'kine back to unseated, giving Kane the 20th Seat. Three days later, Burge died of his injuries.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

6,000 years ago

Taskin had taken Burge's death hard. The younger man had admired Burge for his strength. He began drinking more often, not just during his visits with Ma'kine. From what the avian heard, Taskin had been more likely to fall asleep with a bottle in his hands than not. By what was eventually refered to as 4027 BCE, Taskin had began seeing Fir regularly. Ma'kine had arranged that between his friends. Fir had her eye on Ma'kine for some time, but the winged humanoid had casually mentioned Taskin's love for the dark haired lady. Taskin himself just hadn't known he loved Fir yet. But, with Ma'kine's gentle guidance the two would meet unexpectedily on patrol or he would invite them over at the same time. And, as Ma'kine had known, Taskin eventually became infatuated.

The next seven years saw Taskin drinking less and courting Fir more. They two still visited Ma'kine, but he was happy to note that they always visited him together. Ma'kine had made casual friends over time, such as the maker of stone statues he had stumbled upon in Rukon. The statue maker had made Ma'kine many statues of birds, varying in size from a few inches to as tall as Ma'kine himself. Ma'kine ordered many statues including one modeled after the human myth of Garuda, a King of Birds. Most of them were never seen again after a few weeks around his home.

Ma'kine had been half-carrying, half flying his statues back to his former village. Many were left at way points along a rough path, hidden under cover of tree or underground. The last three checkpoints were completely underground, to stop anyone from following the loose line of points back to the Mountain. The final checkpoint was a huge underground cavern, deep inside a ravine. Most of the statues were already there, along with a multitude of picks, axes, rope and material to make torches. Ma'kine spent his stolen hours away from the rest of Soul Society mining away. It was the reason he maintained his fit shape despite the periods of relative peace. There had been no major battles with Hollows; the Smiling Hollow remained hidden. So, when Ma'kine set out late at night he would toil away, making slow progress to his mountain miles away. Until he finished the tunnel to connect to the mines already in the Mountain, he would leave the statues in the cavern. Only the smallest statues were flown to the Mountain and placed throughout the mine, particularily around his vault.

His village was maintained by him as well, in his secret hours. He ensured any ice built up was broken away. Weathered stone was repaired. Iron plating polished and replaced. Paths smoothed and etched. After each visit, the Village looked as if the people had all just went on a picknic, not died horribly many years ago. Nothing that couldn't fly could reach the village without going through the mines. And with hundreds if not thousand of miles of tunnels throughout, it was unlikely. Especially since the only way into the mine still was not finished. But, one day he'd finish the tunnel to connect the cavern to the mountain. One day.

But, what mattered most to Ma'kine's career was his activity in Seireitei, not the lost Village of his people. Ma'kine was once more being considered for a Seated position. The Nineteenth Seat had recently transfered to Division Thirteen. Normally the Twentith Seat would take over, but seemed to once more, for reasons unknown to himself, be in the good graces of Lord Baozhai. However, he was being considered, he didn't have a guarentee.

Lord Sutāshainingu Baozhai wanted a contest to prove who deserved the Nineteenth Seat, as his final act as Captain. Lord Sutāshainingu was retiring, leaving the position to his Leuitenant and son, Naitofurawā. Kane and Ma'kine would fight for the position, a clean fight using the skills they possessed. Any skill a Shinigami could use were allowed, including Kido. They would fight begining at first light in the court behind the Eleventh Division. Both Baozhai, as well as any interested Seated Officers, would watch.

Ma'kine had spent the day before with Fir and Taskin, discussing the next day. Ma'kine was surely going to need to hold back; his Shikai was dangerous around others, Taskin claimed. Ma'kine responded that Infanaruasshu Tori, the Spirit, and himself knew what they were doing. As long as the sphere itself was not touched, Ma'kine had complete control over the flames. Only touching the small star caused its powers to kill indescrimately. Fir said that she believed Ma'kine knew his limits and abilities, but there were risks. The star followed him always; it could graze something as he was manuvering around to fight Kane. That was when the group began discussing Kane's mysterious scythe Shikai. That conversation was left dead and abandonned when Fir and Taskin began arguing over its ability. Taskin claimed Kane manipulated the earth using the black skull headed scythe. But Fir swore that Kane used the scythe to freeze whatever he cut. Ma'kine hadn't heard either story before. As far as he was aware, Kane's scythe had the ability to extend both pole and blade to extreme sizes.

After the couple left, Ma'kine placed his Zanpakuto point first down, letting it imbed in a well worn hole in the wooden floor of his bedroom. Ma'kine sat legs crossed with the Zanpakuto in the space provided by his legs. He was shirtless, but wore pants. His wings stretched outward but not upwards. The avian equivilent of laying with your arms behind your head. It only took him moments to find the grassy plains of Infanaruasshu Tori's Inner World.

The ground was flattish, the hills so shallow they were hardly noticeable. Above, the sky was blocked by clouds. In the distance, a volcano larger than any mountain in the Human World rose abruptly. There was a loud, high pitched keening as Ma'kine turned his gaze towards the clouds nearest the Volcano. The keening grew louder as the clouds parted and a shape burst forward.

Humanoid in appearance, the shape was youthful, no more than fourteen or fifteen. The barreling harpy was no ugly as some myths stated, but she had a princess quality of pretty, with liquid ivory skin, soft and skinny limbs. Off each arm feathers grew. Human shaped arms that were in reality wings, but with human hands instead of the bird arrangement of bones. Her eyes as she stopped meters away from Ma'kine were swirls of irridescent color, surrounding large pupils. The harpy had a short shock of white hair, her feathers on her wings bright reds while the feathers on her legs were darker tones. Her feet were not different from an eagle's, but she wore heavy wooden shoes that click-klacked whenever she walked. The teenage monster had soft gentle curves, including thin waist and girly hips, and her bust already showed signs that one day she would be very heavily endowed. Infanaruasshu Tori keened once more, her skin and feathers rippling with excitement, which Ma'kine could notice as the girl wore nothing but her shoes. She never wore anything but shoes. If it was possible to bounce up and down while hovering four feet above the ground, the Zanpakuto Spirit was doing it.

Her voice was high with excitement as she repeatedily asked if they'd really be fighting tomorrow. Oh, how she beamed at the prospect! The child chided Ma'kine for their lack of combat recently. Infanaruasshu Tori loved to fight, as she claimed it gave her something to do with all her energy. The spunky nude girl flipped in midair backwards, gliding forward to wrap her arms around Ma'kine's neck. She was between hugging him tightly and yanking him forward, her body pulling him slightly towards her. As she was airborne and higher than himself, he had to stand on tiptoe and take a step forward to keep the estatic Spirit from pulling his head from his shoulders. Ma'kine attempted to speak, but his face pressed against her upper shoulder kept his words from coming out clearly.

That was the problem with Infanaruasshu Tori. She had far too much energy, and never waited for her questions to be answered. She'd just go on talking, attempting to pull Ma'kine into the air to join her for a few games. Normally, Ma'kine would agree, as he enjoyed spending time with the self-proclaimed Princess of Ashes. But tonight he needed Infanaruasshu Tori to focus, so he pressed one hand to her opposite shoulder and took her waist in his other hand, pushing her back away from his face and pulling her down from the air at the same time, allowing her to stumble against him as her wooden shoes met the uneven ground. Ma'kine wished he had a third hand to clamp over her mouth to stop that high pitched keening she made when she was incredibly excited, such as now.

In some ways, they were foils to one another, Ma'kine being a large, compossed and level-headed male and her being a youthful, excitable girl with slim but feminine figure. They also had much in common, however. They both were very excited for this fight. And they both wanted the other to go with their plan. Infanaruasshu Tori hadn't stopped talking, even as she was grounded by Ma'kine. She was going on about how they should just incinerate the entire court to ensure they won; Infanaruasshu Tori loved winning. He faced shone with excitement and her breathing was fast, her feathered lower body shakey as she tried to contain herself. Releasing her shoulder but keeping a firm grip on her waist to keep the Spirit from flying away without listening, Ma'kine pressed a finger to her lips. She immediately pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. But she had shut up.

Ma'kine spent the night meditating and talking to Infanaruasshu Tori, repeatedily needing to grab the girl and pull her back to the ground or needing to place his fingers over her mouth. After he had managed to talk strategy with Infanaruasshu Tori, he released her. The spirit once more pressed herself against him, kicking her feet as if her small body could hope to force him into the air. Tussling her hair and shooting himself skyward in a single leap, Ma'kine played a game of chase with the girl. As usually, the game ended with them both laying together, breathing hard and laughing. The bond between Infanaruasshu Tori and her Shinigami went beyond partnership. They were kin, and the Spirit understood that. She knew Ma'kine's heart better than himself, and knew that he saw his people living on inside the two of them. Her flames burned in their memory. That night, as Ma'kine mediated in preparation for the upcoming fight, the two winged beings knew that they would never lose so long as they relied upon each other. Ma'kine and his Spirit made a silent promise to never take from the other. They shared all, even their doubts. That, Infanaruasshu Tori told him, was the secret of Shikai. Learning to work together as one.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Kane stood directly across from Ma'kine. Though their uniforms and Division were the same, the two could not be more different. Ma'kine stood tall and proud, his knife Zanpakuto already in a defensive position. Kane shifted about from foot to foot, his sword sheathed on his back. On the right side of the rectangular court, the Captain and seven seated Officers, Lord Baozhai watching both Shinigami. The Vice Captain stood on the left along with three seated Officers. The court was dark, but dawn was breaths away.

The moment the first golden light touched the ground, Captain Baozhai ordered the match to begin. Ma'kine charged at Kane who still had yet to draw his sword... and was promptly sent tumbling backwards. He hadn't hit something and bounced off, something had plowed straight into him hard enough to knock the humanoid backwards. Had it been Kane? No, he was still standing there, sword sheathed and if anything, he looked spaced out, staring at nothing on the wall. Ma'kine was about to see what the Baozhai's were doing when he was sent forward this time.

Where were the attacks coming from? None of the spectators were even looking at either Ma'kine or Kane. They were staring at nothing as well! Two more blows hit him, but these were weaker. Like fists. Ma'kine whirled to search for the puncher. Nobody but himself and Kane stood in the court proper. Ma'kine winced as another blow hit him, this time cutting into him. These invisible attacks had him at all sides and he couldn't locate the source.

Then he heard a voice, talking right into his ear. "Disorienting, isn't it? Not knowing where I'll cut you next. Don't worry, nobody is even watching you about to die. They're watching other fights." Ma'kine turned and slashed towards the voice. Kane! But, Kane hadn't moved from his spot! But that was definately his voice.

A slash cut Ma'kine across the chest. "Null is a hypnosis-type Zanpakuto. Nobody here is watching the real fight, you winged freak. They'll all say the match was close, but Ma'kine just wasn't up for it. They won't even know you're dead; once ensnared by Null, only the memories I feed them exist! Your body can lay in the court for years before anyone finds you." Each sentance brought another blow. Some slashes of a blade, others hitting with such force that Kane must be using the scythe's figurehead as a battering ram.

The punishing blows continued for a while, seemingly random whether it would be a slash or a ramming hit. Ma'kine quickly became bruised and bloodied all over, but he refused to fall to his knees. Immediately after a slash to his right side, Ma'kine closed his eyes. One breath, inhale... exhale. Two, inhale.. exhale. Three, inhale... Ma'kine stepped sharply to his right, arm raised during the motion, then snapping back to his side. Something hard and cold as pinned between his bicep and ribs. Ma'kine opened his eyes and exhaled as Kane's voice shouted.

Kane now stood directly in front of Ma'kine. His outline was blurry, but it was definately him. Ma'kine's vision was distorted, seeing two versions of the court impossed one atop the other. In the other version, Ma'kine and Kane stood on the far side, with Ma'kine's Zanpakuto already released as he dodged Kane's sealed sword. The false Ma'kine fired kido fireballs that the fake Kane dodged and evaded. But, Ma'kine knew the one several feet away was the true Kane.

Kane's face was distorted in anger as he tried to pull the scythe back. Ma'kine held the metal of the pole hard, and the large skull head from which the silver blade emerged from was too large to fit through the arm and sides. So, it appeared that by grabbing the scythe's pole, the spell over Ma'kine was lifted and he was able to see Kane. The scythe user was too far away to stab, but Ma'kine hadn't wanted to. He pointed his Zanpakuto knife at Kane. The avian's words were cold and firm, dripping with venom, "Attempt to let go out your Zanpakuto, I will release mine and have Null incinerated." Ma'kine was able to switch from sealed to Shikai very quickly, as the release was a single word followed by the name. Some Shinigami had to recite a short poem to activate their Zanpakuto.

Kane seethed and the string of curses following would have made a sailor cringe. But he didn't let go. Ma'kine however did, Kane falling backwards as the tension on the scythe was released. Ma'kine could no longer see the fake battle, but he could still see Kane. As Kane attempted to rise, Ma'kine's Reiatsu flared and his strong voice called out, "Reincarnate, Infanaruasshu Tori!" Before Kane could even rise back up, the court was blazing with light from the eight feet high sphere of fire at Ma'kine's back. The star rippled with flares and his lower body was already clad in flame. "No more dicking around, Kane. It's time we fought like real Shinigami. Unless you're afraid to face me in a fair fight."

It had taken longer than he planned, but Ma'kine was back on the strategy plan. The fire at his legs and back protected him from Kane's closer combat scythe. Only his left side was unprotected, which meant he knew where the attacks would be aimed. With the intense flames covering his lower body and fist, Ma'kine tossed aside the cut-up top of his uniform, kicking the ground hard as he went airborn, wings snapping to their full size.

The battle was short after this. With the advtantage of the sky, Ma'kine forced Kane to resort to Kido. The human Shinigami's kido was outmatched every time by Ma'kine's. Ma'kine had vast stores of reserve energy, but he wasn't unlimited. Flying took physical excertion, and Kido was spiritually taxing. But, he had far more spiritual ability than Kane. Shortly after the clashing of spells began, Kane's spells began losing their shape. Ma'kine, though he was rightly tired, was still able to maintain spells like Danki and still return Kido blasts. Of course, Danki was only used on the spells that slipped through the crossfire. When Kane ran out of energy to cast Kido, he was practically falling down, needing the scythe as support.

"Time to try that technique you taught me last night, Infanaruasshu Tori," Ma'kine muttered. Almost as if the weapon was responding to him, the fire burned brighter. Ma'kine extended his flame-covered fist outward, opening it and spreading his finger. As he did, the amount of flame grew and grew until it was a few feet in diameter. He drew his arm back across his chest and over his shoulder before whipping it back, aimed at Kane. His opponent saw the ball of fire coming and hastily threw up the strongest barrier he could, even holding his Zanpakuto between himself and Ma'kine. The orb fell slowly the first foot until Ma'kine called out "Setting Star!" and the ball closed the distance of around thirty meters in a matter of blinks.

It met resistance at the barrier, but half-punched, half-melted its way through. When it reached the thick blade of Null, it tore straight through. The ball moved through barrier, scythe blade and then through Kane's shoulder and buried itself in the ground, continuing until it burned itself out, Ma'kine imaged. Suffocated by lack of oxygen, it couldn't have gone very deep into the ground.

Kane was utterly finished. His Zanpakuto was broken, and with it the spell over everyone who was supposed to be watching. As the sight they had watched disappeared, they were faced with Ma'kine twenty feet in the air, Shikai active and his body riddled with cuts, Kane laying on the ground, his Zanpakuto broken in two and his arm literally burned off his body, the wound cauterized and not even bleeding.

Captain Lord Baozhai and his son exchanged looks. Together, they said, "There had better be an explanation."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ma'kine and Kane, who was unwilling and had to be forced to tell the truth, explained the truth of the fight. Despite not being able to witness the fight, both Baozhai's agreed that Ma'kine should get the Nineteenth Seat. Kane was not seen from again, and his position was given to another Shinigami. Naitofurawā took over for his father the following week, and the former Captain retired, allowing his son both his position as Captain and Head of the Baozhai family.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

5,500 years ago

The next five hundred years saw retired Lord Sutāshainingu Baozhai passing on and Ma'kine advancing to Eleventh Seat. It was slow progress for Ma'kine, but he welcomed the experience of years of hard work under Lord Naitofurawā. Ma'kine felt that as he was unable to properly repay Lord Sutāshainingu, he would need to double his efforts to find a suitable way of repaying his son on the father's behalf. During the five hundred years since regaining an Official Seat, Ma'kine had managed to tunnel completely from his final checkpoint into one of the lower regions of his mines.

Ma'kine purchased multitudes of torches and began to place them throughout the mine, slowly working his way towards the top. They were far spaced and went down every side passage as well. Only somebody who had the mine memorized would be able to navigate it. Ma'kine in his spare time, which he was having far less of, was moving his many statues throughout the maze of tunnels. Some were small enough to place in nooks under the torches. Others he needed to carve hollow spaces into the mine walls to slide them into position. At first they seemed randomly spaced, but they actually followed a pattern of seven steps, nine steps, four steps, eight steps, repeating throughout the mine. It wasn't for random-ness sake. Ma'kine got the idea because he was singing an old song his mother used to sing when she was cleaning. The song was in his native language and it just happened that each pause in the song occured during those steps. Ma'kine had been dragging several statues on a make-shift sled and during each pause he had unloaded one and continued on his way. However, when Ma'kine realized this he decided it would be strange to not continue as so, so he did. Unfortunately, he didn't have time for carrying more statues to the base of the mountain, so what was there was all he could position.

In what's now called the year 3508 BCE, Ma'kine had finally caught wind of the Smiling Hollow. The reports said that, though it was now an Adjuchas-level Hollow, it was beyond a doubt the Smiling Hollow. It maintained the ability to split into smaller Hollows, but they were now deadlier versions of themselves, roughly Gillian-class in strength each. Two appeared to have evolved into large bipedal sharks. Another looked like a boar but had three heads, each armed with four mighty tusks. A fourth took the shape of a crocodile that evolved into a half-man like thing, with a humanoid body covered in scales and a tail covered in ridges. The fifth, which seemed to lead the other four, was a demonic Hollow, twice the size of the others and all eight of its arms had curved protrusions that grew from the forearms and looked far too much like swords for anybody's comfort. Ma'kine heard that the Smiling Hollow's true form didn't look much different, the mask essentually unchanged, but it gained all the evolutions of its parts and it's power was immense.

Lord Naitofurawā was tasked with handling the Smiling Hollow, as it's rampages proved to be far more than those of mindless beasts. This Hollow purposely made trouble, luring Shinigami in so it could devour them. It rarely ate anything but normal Hollows or Shinigami, the reports said. Ma'kine practically had to beg Lord Naitofurawā to allow himself, Fir and Taskin to come along. Taskin and Fir were Seventeenth and Twentifth Seats, respectfully. They had recently been wed. This Hollow was the one who killed Burge, Ma'kine explained. How could he call himself Burge's friend if he wasn't even there when this thing dies? Ma'kine was his superior officer at the time, he said. He should have protected him and Alexander. Lord Naitofurawā relented, allowing the three to become part of the group. Ten Soul Reapers from Division Eleven would go and destroy this Smiling Hollow once and for all.

They tracked it to a large grassy plains in modern day Eastern Steppes. The Smiling Hollow was divided into its five Gillian-class parts. They stood, the lesser four nearly thirty feet tall and the demonic Hollow twice their size. The sharks breath seemed to freeze the air around them. The boar, thirty feet at the shoulder, pawed the ground and tore deep trenches under its hooves. The crocodile swung long arms at its side. And behind them, the demonic Hollow ran the blades on each arm against each other. They were waiting. Seven masks with eyes hidden somewhere in those recesses stared down at the ten man group led by Captain Lord Naitofurawā Baozhai. Three collumes of three stood behind him. Ma'kine and his friends were in the final row. The Third, Fourth and Sixth Seats stood directly behind Lord Baozhai. Eight, Nine and Ten stood in the middle row. Ma'kine's trio brought up the rear. It was silent, the air still as Captain Baozhai stared at the five Hollows. All ten Zanpakuto were drawn. Without a word, Captain Baozhai raised his sword over his head. With shouts of glory, the Shinigami rushed the five Hollows.

It was an absolute slaughter. The moment the Shinigami broke ranks, the three in the middle row were eaten by the earth. First they were right in front of Ma'kine, then they were sucked under. With a heave the ground burst and from it a sixth Hollow crawled out. This Hollow looked like a rat with a large armored shell and a tongue that stretched many feet, curling around the Fourth and Sixth Seats and sucking them into its mouth before Ma'kine was able to drive his Zanpakuto into one of its six legs. Captain Baozhai turned and was astonished and horrified to find a Hollow had already devoured half of the group. Captain Baozhai called for a retreat immediately for they were drastically over-powered. It was taking the Captain's all to hold back the demonic Hollow and the Third Seat was struggling with both sharks. The boar and the crocodile charged at Ma'kine and his friends as they turned, attempting to put space between themselves and the rat. The boar trampled Fir and as Taskin turned and screamed, the crocodile blasted him away completely with a cero from its gaping maw.

Ma'kine, the Third Seat and Captain Baozhai survived the battle. They hadn't even been enough to force the Hollow to its true form, despite all three releasing their Shikai's. Ma'kine lay in the Fourth Division for two weeks, his stomach having been shredded alongside his legs. The Captain was also heavily injured and the Third was lucky to have survived the return to Soul Society, let alone at all. They would all live. But, as Ma'kine lay in the bed for weeks as his injuries healed, he cursed himself. First Burge and Alexander, now Fir and Taskin too? Was the Smiling Hollow going to kill everybody Ma'kine called a friend? The Hollows were taking everything from him!

Captain Baozhai came to see Ma'kine once his injuries were healed. He regretted that once more the Smiling Hollow had vanished. He thought Ma'kine would like to know. When he was recovered and ready for active duty, he was to take the Fifth Seat.

Last edited by Ma'kine on Sun Sep 20, 2015 8:42 pm; edited 4 times in total

Seven hundred years pass passed. Ma'kine rose to Second Seat, tentatively. Ma'kine knew, as well as everybody else that, should Captain Baozhai have a child and when that child came of age, they'd almost certainly be Second Seat. It was basically an unspoken rule that the first two Seats were for Baozhai's foremost. But, after the last battle with the Smiling Hollow, Ma'kine and Captain Baozhai became closer in terms of commander and subordinate. But, Ma'kine had confided that he was wishing to leave the Eleventh Division, transfering to the Kido-specializing Division Five, to make better use of his massive stores of spiritual energy. It had taken many weeks and Captain Baozhai's position as both a respectable Captain and Nobleman, but they were cleared for one final battle with the Smiling Hollow.

Ma'kine aided in selecting a group of Division Eleven members to join himself and the Captain to journey to Hueco Mundo to kill off this incredibly powerful Hollow. The main driving reason such a large task force, with members of Four, Five, Eleven and even Kido Corps members, was allowed to invade Hueco Mundo was because the Smiling Hollow had amassed others of the Menos level into it's own personal army. It was a threat too great to ignore at this point, for if it was ever to become Arrancar, who were incredibly rare naturally, it would be far above normal Captains. As it was, it had to have been at Vasto Lorde class, able to divide into Adjuchas and a lesser version of itself.

After a long preparation to invade Hueco Mundo, the nearly two hundred man group arrived at the Desert. There would be no playing around; anything tied to the Smiling Hollow must be exterminated, as ordered by the Captain Commander. But for Ma'kine, this mission was far more personal. He brimmed with such hatred that all but the Captain himself avoided him. Where he walked, the air became heated by his spiritual pressure. The centuries saw him honing his skills exactly for this day. Revenge was the only thing on his mind. Captain Baozhai repeatedily had to order him to calm down on threat of being sent home and even imprissoned. Captain Baozhai would let nothing risk the lives of these men, especially not a hot-headed Leuitenant.

It did not take long to pin-point the Smiling Hollow's location. It and its small army of Menos Grande and Adjuchas had settled in an area of huge stone buildings that rose from the ground. Ma'kine, thousands of years from that day, would say they appeared 'like Greek but many times older'. The buildings were cracked but not truly ruins. More like a small abandonned city of white stone buildings. A spiritual pressure that radiated death and made all the Shinigami feel downright slimey came from a building that sat above the rest on a low rise of rock protruding from the sands. Without a doubt, the Smiling Hollow, or at least the bulk of its power, resided there.

The Shinigami concealed their Spiritual Pressures and hid, less than a day away. Close enough to watch, but far enough to avoid any outlyers of the small Menos Army. They would rest, and in the 'morning' they would strike in full force. The lesser Menos would be handled by the bulk of the Shinigami, while Ma'kine, Captain Baozhai and the four Kido Corps members would attack the Smiling Hollow themselves.

As Ma'kine slept, he dreamed of the day he sought his Zanpakuto's full power to aid him in his quest for revenge.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ma'kine stood in the plains of his Inner World. Infanaruasshu Tori stood, uncharacteristically on her own two feet, her arms folded across her breasts. "I won't do it, Ma'kine. Not like this," the Zanpakuto Spirit stated. "I understand, but no. I'm sorry they died but we're not ready for Bankai!"

"Yes we are, Infanaruasshu Tori! We need that power to win; I'd do anything to kill that bastard!" Ma'kine was furious. How could she refuse him Bankai when all of his friends died because of that monster!? Did she not love him as he loved her? Could she not feel his agony? Everybody was dead because he wasn't strong enough.

"I do understand; you're blinded by your hate for the Hollow that killed them. But forcing us to do Bankai won't bring them back!" At that, Ma'kine stopped his pacing. He literally threw up his hands and screamed. He knew that; she knew that he knew. "Maybe we'll be stronger in a century, maybe two. But right now I don't think we are."

The young, pretty harpy made it clear that as long as she had control, she wouldn't allow him to learn Bankai. And so, Ma'kine had resorted to something the two had promised not to do. He forcefully dragged her from her Inner World paradise. While Infanaruasshu Tori had, since a few months before the slaughter of a fight with the Smiling Hollow, been able to manifest herself willingly, Ma'kine had always visited her on her terms. It was trust between them; she'd come out whenever he needed her so long as he never forced her into it. So, when Ma'kine stood in the center of his ancestral home and forcefully dragged Infanaruasshu Tori into his world, she was furious.

But he silenced her, saying that he needed Bankai more than anything. He loved and trusted his Zanpakuto, but he said it was time that he had more power. The way to unlocking Bankai was, by default, the subjugation of the Spirit by the Shinigami. He had to fight her, he claimed. It was the only way. Sooner or later, he told her, they would need to fight.

As Ma'kine watched, the Zanpakuto Spirit's body rippled and she seemed to stretch. Her body grew and aged as the air around her suddenly colored and became a robe. It was extremely open in the front, revealing large amounts of her very generous bust, but kept her 'decent'. Her once short hair grew into a large plaited braid. As she opened her eyes, now taller than Ma'kine despite visually appearing the same age, her irridescent orbs were cold and filled with a mixture of contempt and... disappointment. "For the sake of our friendship, my younger self won't ever recall this interaction, Ma'kine. But I beg you, do not do this." Her voice was smooth and elegant, not unlike the classier Nobles Ma'kine had occassionally heard talking.

"You know I must..." While her voice was filled with hurt and painful pride, his was filled equally. They must fight, he must learn Bankai in case that... demon attacked again!

"I won't ever forgive you... Remember that, Ma'kine, every time you use Bankai. If you survive this fight, that is..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ma'kine was several paces behind his Captain, but many meters before the rest of the group. Before them, the city that the Menos controled was brimming with energy. Here and there, short bursts of Spiritual Pressure indicated squables between Menos. Above the city, in a building that resembled a miniture castle, the energy was practically a living thing. The Shinigami weren't even in the city yet, but already several were sweating and one, a Fourth Division healer, was forced to his knees.

Captain Baozhai turned and looked grimly at the Task Force. "Now that I'm here, I would have prefered to have no less than all the Captains and Leuitenants with us, Ma'kine," the Captain said softly. He then raised his voice to call out to the rest of the group. "The enemy is a small army of solely Menos class Hollows. It is believed that the Smiling Hollow is the sole Vasto Lorde, as I said the night before. However, do not let your guards down. If any of you are cornered, fight and raise your Spiritually Energy as high as you can. Those nearest you will assist. Do not forget the plan. If you see the Smiling Hollow, retreat immediately. Do not engage. Myself and Ma'kine, with the Kido Corps, are the only ones who will fight the Smiling Hollow."

The "plan" was simple. Storm the city in a head on assault, with two smaller groups sneaking to the side to attack in a pincer. Nothing leaves the city alive, period. The main force would continue straight on, dwindling smaller until only the kido masters and the two highest Shinigami remained. The rest would split off to hold enemies back.

It worked, for the most part. Except, nearly two hours into the assault on the city, the main force still hadn't reached the castle. The forgotten city had been built to stall attackers. Streets spiraled, walls were massive curved things. This city was more like a fortress. And the Menos just kept coming. From behind, more Shinigami had to fall away to hold them off long enough for the main force to fight those in front. And, at roughly this time, a third group had joined the fray.

The Espada.

They attacked the city from the side opposite of the main Shinigami force. But they were making far more progress in gaining ground than the Shinigami were. Ma'kine hadn't realized how close they were until the Adjuchas he had been fighting suddenly erupted into a literal geyser of blood, its entire body becoming just blood, flesh and all. Walking towards the Shinigami, a small, child-like figure approached. Every inch of her body was covered in blood, as was the path behind her. In her right hand, she wielded a lance. Under the thick coating of blood, her face was further obscurred by a mask, very much like the visor of a helmet.

"Shinigami, why are you here?" The child asked. She approached Captain Baozhai slowly, her lance still raised but not immediately pointed at anyone. "By order of the King, this city is to be cleansed."

Captain Baozhai stood firm, as was Ma'kine, though the rest of the main force backed away. "By order of the Captain Commander, the leader of the Menos Army is to be exterminated. It would appear that our goals are the same, Arrancar."

The girl recoiled as if she had been spit at. "I am the Segunda Espada," she said venomously. "And so it would appear... Just stay out of our way; we'll be killing the Menos. You may as well go home.We won't fight you Shinigami trash, though. Not in the orders. Unless you get in our way."

With that, the girl leapt over the group of Shinigami, landing behind them. Ma'kine looked up as she jumped. Three crimson drops landed on his face, leaving trails down his cheeks.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

By the time Ma'kine and the main force reached the castle, the extermination of the city became a three way massacre. Down below, Shinigami fought Espada and Hollows. Espada obliterated Shinigami and Hollow alike. The Hollows fought for survival in vain.

At the topmost building in the city, the leader of the Menos Army stood between the remains of the Shinigami Menos Task Force and the top three Espada. Captain Baozhai stood in front, Ma'kine at his side. Only the Kido Corps remained behind them. The three groups stood outside the building, in what was most likely a courtyard if the walls weren't demolished. The Smiling Hollow had divided its body into several lesser versions of itself.

There was a crocodile-man roughly twice the height of Ma'kine, a shark-like being that appeared to be as much shark as it was boar due to the large tusks, a armored rat that possessed a tail that crackled with black spirit energy, and lastly was the main body. Despite its power split into three Adjuchas as well, the fourth was clearly a Vasto Lorde. It strongly resembled the demon, as it was entirely black with ruby lines and edges and possessed long blades for arms. However, this Vasto Lorde was clearly feminine, though slender and slightly built. But as it demonstrated with a single movement of its arm, it's power was well beyond anything they had fought before. The building to its side was destroyed, sliced in half despite the Vasto Lorde never moving. The mere force of its swing sliced the building in half, walls, floor and all.

That was the signal each group had unconsciously waited for. Wordlessly, the battle began. The Espada rushed the Adjuchas, each Espada in their sealed forms. The Vasto Lorde calmly began to walk towards Captain Baozhai and Ma'kine.

Ma'kine and the Captain were both in Shikai. While the demonic Vasto Lorde engaged the Captain, Ma'kine would shoot off his Setting Star technique. Despite the raw power, though, it hadn't the strength to defeat the Vasto Lorde's hierro. That black skin would catch fire, but not burn away like it would have on a Shinigami. Ma'kine's fire based attacks would strike while the Vasto Lorde was locked in combat with the Captain. But if the Hollow chose to switch targets, the Captain would attack from behind.

Simple, but it worked. Only slightly, though. While it did harm the Hollow, it was evident that unless Bankai level or greater was used against it, the Smiling Hollow would continue toying with the Espada and Shinigami. The Kido Corps' attacks were shrugged off or blocked at each turn.

A shout from Ma'kine's right caused the two Shinigami to become distracted. They both looked over to watch as the young girl from earlier reeled backwards, clutching her face. Incredible amounts of blood poured from where the left part of her mask had been. Her lance also lay to her side, crushed.

The Segunda Espada was definately about to die without intervention. Unfortunately, the other two Espada were deadlocked with their Adjuchas enemies. Captain Baozhai nodded once to Ma'kine before leaping to fight the rat-like Adjuchas alongside the Espada girl. Leaving Ma'kine alone to fight the Vasto Lorde.

Within minutes, Ma'kine was breathing heavily and felt light-headed. Twice the Vasto Lorde had neary been defeated by its own reckless fighting style. It's hyper-aggressive rushing nearly made it come into direct contact with the star at Ma'kine's back. Ma'kine had taken to using it as a large shield, turning at the last moment to place the star of his Shikai between them. Unfortunately, one by one the rest of the fighters were falling. First the Segunda, then the Primera, then even the Captain. Finally, the Kido Corps and the Third Espada crumpled. Not dead, but merely unable to move. Every one of them was beaten senseless. And Ma'kine knew he was next because the Vasto Lorde before him was quickly losing her patience.

As he was cornered, Ma'kine lifted himself into the air. Though he wouldn't be crushed by the shark or rat, or cut by that demoness, he had to be wary of long distance attacks. Like Ceros. However, moments after they opened fire, the Menos all stopped. Before his eyes, they seemed to shimmer and vibrate into one another.

A minute after the bizzare vibrating merger, the Menos had fused together into their original form. Human sized, the Smiling Hollow appeared much like the Vasto Lorde from before, but adrogenous. Some differences were the shape of the armor. On the shoulders, the armor was shaped like the head of a shark. Emerging from along the spine was a armored tail. The head looked far more human now, but still possessed a crown of small horns. The two foremost horns bore a strong resemblance to tusks.

Defininately male, the Vasto Lorde before him was much stronger than the sum of his parts, Ma'kine realized. The ground seemed to be pushed away from the Hollow as it moved, and even from the air Ma'kine felt a cold darkness that radiated from the Vasto Lorde. When the Vasto Lorde looked up at him, Ma'kine felt an intense chill and actually dropped several feet under the gaze.

"You Shinigami made a mistake coming after Barranst Wanderquiest," the Vasto Lorde said. Barranst pointed one of his blade arms at Ma'kine, before making a short cutting motion. "Bala."

"Shi-," Ma'kine gasped as twelve black and silver orbs barraged him, blasting into him and knocking him completely out of the air. He fell hard into the ground, not far from where the Captain lay. Ma'kine pulled himself up onto his knees and stabbed his Zanpakuto into the ground. It had reverted back to its Sealed State when he was struck from the sky. If he remembered correctly, that meant he was near death. Or he had lost consciousness and simply didn't realize it.

Ma'kine spat on the ground and shrugged as a wad of thick blood came out. Definately some internal damage, he thought. His limbs felt as if they had been wretched from their sockets. Standing wearily, he looked down at his ruined body. Pouring wounds, cuts and blunt bashes. His clothing was shredded and he tore the remains of it away.

Barranst was coming towards him, the blades the Vasto Lorde humming with power and force. The energy around the Vasto Lorde was eating away at the air between them, pressing in on the avian Shinigami. Not knowing what else to do, Ma'kine looked to his small weapon held loosely in his hand. He felt like he was unable to grasp it properly. Perhaps I have lost too much blood, some part of his mind wondered. ""So this is what death feels like, eh, Infanaruasshu Tori?" His voice was thick from the blood in his throat and mouth. "I know you won't forgive me for this...."

Barranst was before Ma'kine as the winged humanoid stood, his knife readied at his side. "Dead men need no forgiveness, you fool."

Ma'kine half-smiled, spitting a mouthful of blood at the Vasto Lorde. "Ban...Kai, Eien no Ribaibinguraputā..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

After the battle, Ma'kine and the wounded returned to Soul Society. The battle hard been hard, but the loses were surprisingly few. It would seem the Espada had been more helpful than they claimed they would be. The Shinigami reported their success to the Captain Commander, Ma'kine reported on his Bankai taking down the Vasto Lorde to Captain Baozhai.

There was no body to prove the Smiling Hollow's death, only the lack of its spiritual pressure and Ma'kine and the Captain's word. The fact of the Espada's aid was left out of the reports, instead referenced as an "internal battle between Hollows that the Menos Extermination Task Force took advantage of."

The number of Shinigami deaths went down after the battle. Hollow attacks returned to the occassional feedings of normal Hollows. Menos did not return to the Human world, nor the Soul Society. Another marked change was Ma'kine's rank. He had transfered immediately upon his return, moving into the unseated Shinigami rank and file of the Fifth Division, spending the following weeks learn and perfecting his Kido.

Most notable of all was that he moved. Ma'kine had always resided just outside the Barracks of the Eleventh Division. Now, he moved into a more common walkway area, purchasing a moderate sized area within Seireitei. He lived now in a building built into one of the many walls, and owned a small peice of land that existed between the wall he lived in and the one behind. It was a gap where the two walls didn't meet, but was otherwise blocked off on all sides. The 'house' was not much either, having been used as a warehouse previously to store food and equipment. The bird-man's new home was located within Fifth Division's area, but was on the side closest to the Eleventh's despite the large area between the two.

Unnoticed by most was the unusual change to Ma'kine's energy and personality. His Spiritual Pressure had grown some, and when he released it, the energy was heavy. As if it was eating the air around him. Most unusual however was that, more than he ever had before, Ma'kine wore a small smile.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

3,200 years ago

Sixteen centuries after the defeat of the Smiling Hollow, Ma'kine had successfully finished his goal. The tunnels into his mountain home were finished. He had rigged the tunnels with ropes and sleds, allowing him to pull several statues at a time behind him. His Village was now restored in perfect detail to its former glory. The Vault where his riches lay was heavily protected, by the lightless tunnels that were a maze, by bars and pitfalls, and by the false dead-end he had placed at the entrance. A kido barrier of sorts, it mimicked the surrounding earth to appear as if the path ended. However, it was only a trick of the eyes, for one could walk straight through it. The barrier was fueled not by his own energy, but by an ore he had discovered deep underground. It was like the opposite of the Sekkiseki Stone. Instead of repelling Spiritual Energy, it radiated trace amounts of it. Not enough to be of use in a weaponized form, but plenty to keep up an illusion.

Ma'kine had used a fair amount of this gold he had stored to furnish his home. Though he thought himself a simple man, he did not believe he should need to live in squalor either. His bed was large, though it needed to be for a man of his stature, and his floors covered in fine rugs. Weapons, armor and other pricey bits stood or rested upon the walls. He lived on the second floor of his home, and had turned the space out back into one half-herb garden, one half pit. The pit was home to two very large snakes. The herbs were mostly medicinal, though some were purely for the edibility. The downstairs of Ma'kine's home was a used as a library and shop combined into one. Ma'kine sold manuscripts, scrolls, inks and dyes and other assortments. He also was known to sell his hand as a scribe. Occassionally rare jewels or weapons found their way into his shop.

Ma'kine had even decided to name his store. Ma'kine's Manuscripts and Miscellaneous was the rough name of his store. Though it changed with the centuries, as did the contents within, the name meant roughly the same thing.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

2,100 years ago

Over eleven centuries, Ma'kine advanced up to the sixth seat. Not for any particular reason. Mainly because he was a good Kido user and mighty Shinigami. What prevented his rise higher was his personality. It had grown darker, more distant, as time edged on.

Ma'kine had made no allies or close friends. When questioned, he reported that his friends were all dead and he felt no need to make new ones. They had lived, now they didn't. Ma'kine had seperated himself from his former Captain, though the two stayed in communication. Ma'kine's debt to the Baozhai was eternal, he said. He would aid Lord Baozhai until his last breath. Then, he would follow his son. And in the future, the child of him. As long as Ma'kine was a Shinigami, he claimed, he would owe the Baozhai family. Either he would parish before that debt was fulfilled or they would, he thought silently. The aging Captain never needed Ma'kine to say it; he knew it to be true.

It was at this time that Ma'kine arranged himself to be brought deep within the Maggot's Nest. He sought a prisoner unlike any other the Seireitei had captive here. For, this prisoner was a human woman. In life, her parents were attacked by a Hollow but survived the encounter long enough to birth the girl. This girl had strange powers, able to manipulate the hair on her body as deadly weapons and she had the sight to see Spirits. In death, she retained these abilities. A Fullbringer was the name given to these humans. They were anomalies, humans with abilities derived from those of Hollows. Supposedily, like Hollows, they were strongest in Hueco Mundo.

Ma'kine looked over the young woman. She lay, chained, bound and gagged in a cell. Every last hair on her body had been partially burned off, partly ripped using hot wax. Though he couldn't see her face, he knew not even her eyebrows remained. "It must be terrible, stripped of the one thing you love the most. It couldn't have been pleasant to be forced out of your clothing and then have every last bit of your love torn, literally, from your body." She didn't respond. Not that she could. Ma'kine wasn't even sure if the assassin could hear him. "I have a proposal. I am buying your freedom for you. You'll be under my protection after one week from tomorrow. No more burning. But, I only have one issue. I need to know that you're as dangerous as this guard says you are. I'm going to ask this guard to ungag you," Ma'kine said as he turn to look at the guard. As he did, something iritated his nose and as he looked, a faint drop of blood welled. Sitting across the bridge of his nose was a single short hair. "On second thought... I'll just take that as a yes. I'll see you one week from tomorrow."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The young woman was named Yuri. She didn't give a last name, and Ma'kine didn't ask. She sat on a low table in the shop. She wore loose robes, similar to those of a priestest. The girl's brown hair was already growing to her ears in the past week.

Ma'kine wore his Vastech, and nothing else. Though it had been three days since Yuri's release, she still let her eyes move all over his form. Ma'kine rather liked being looked at, though it wasn't sexual at all on his part. He simply enjoyed being admired. "I think I owe it to you to tell you the truth. Shockingly, you weren't released from the Nest to clean my store and eat my food," Ma'kine said, a shadow of sarcasm in his voice. "I want you to be the first member of a... group, I wanted to start. It's not approved by the Seireitei, and I'd rather they knew nothing about it. Of course, I doubt you'd be telling them anything, considering your... Situation.

"The group will be of people like you. Those with unique traits or abilities that cause them to... Not be accepted among the common rabble. I wanted you to be the first member specifically. Your abilities are well known among Rukongai; people slept much easier when they heard you were imprissoned. I wanted to use your connections, hopefully you can locate other people like us, special people. I was thinking... Fullbringers, souls who showed potential for becoming Shinigami but cannot make it in. Young, old, makes no difference."

Ma'kine looked at the pretty woman. "Why? Well, I want to obtain something. Many things, in fact. And its best if nobody knew how they were taken, by whom, or even how. Hm, what's in it for you? Why, your freedom for starters. And I can pay you. Much better than you'd make in Rukongai. And an equal share of all we take, of course. No, you foolish girl. You won't be living here with me. You can for now, but I know a place where a great number of those joined to us can stay. Yes, it's secure. The Gotei don't even know of its existance. And if they did, they'd have no way of getting there. Oh, now you're getting to the point I see. What is it I plan to steal?"

Ma'kine's eyes shone with the glow of only one who believed whole heartedily in their goal can achieve. "I plan to take all the knowledge the Soul Society has kept hidden for since time eternal. I'm after all that exists within the Great Spirit Library."

The woman blinked then tilted her head. Her shoulder slumped and as it did, her robe followed. "Yuri, I assure you. It is a bounty greater than any treasure. Some believe that the library contains every event that ever happened. Knowledge forbidden to everyone. I know beyond a doubt that, with those books, I can pay you the greatest payment of all," Ma'kine's voice had steadily been getting faster as he spoke. Finally, in a rush of exciment, he burst. "I can get you your voice, Yuri!"

Yuri jerked upright, her over-sized robes falling off her shoulders completely. The look on her face was one of pure longing desire. And it was then that Ma'kine knew that she was hooked. "So, today I guess marks the begining of SECRET," Ma'kine said. At a look from Yuri, he explained. "Spiritually Exceptional Creatures Recognized as Extreme Threats. Only seemed fitting considered you're a killer and I was former second of the Eleventh Division."

Yuri nodded, moving to sit back against the table. The look on her face seemed to say, But just talking about this makes us treasonous at best. The look on Ma'kine's said that was a fair price for knowledge. Unknown to Yuri, the knowledge he saught lay in bringing back those killed long ago... He prayed silently that the knowledge existed.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

150 years ago

SECRET had only made one move in history, shortly after its founding. The only member captured was an old man who had the potential for being a Shinigami, but never could take the test due to illness. It was the same illness that led to him being caught just outside the outermost entrance to the library. He wasn't ever brought in, however. One ensnared by a trap, he proclaimed that "SECRET's secrets shall never be heard." before killing himself in a kido explosion. Ma'kine held himself responsible, for having taught the man the trick. A slight mispronounciation caused a spell to explode immediately instead of on impact.

The attack happened fourty years after Ma'kine founded the group and moved them to his Mountain. The resided both in the village and the tunnels. For nearly twenty centuries the group slowly grew. But Ma'kine swore off attacks on the library again. He claimed that it was too dangerous. They needed more allies, powerful ones. Not that the families now residing in the village were weak, but as time went on, they stopped being the hardened killers, thieves and other oddities that Ma'kine originally recruited. Many of the original group aged and died peacefully on the mountain, their children strengthening themselves the way Ma'kine had; digging in the mines and practicing in the village. Ma'kine wondered now if his forefathers would approve of humans living in their homes.

Nearly twenty centuries after the founding of SECRET, Ma'kine's group was large enough for there to be a large, constant amount of Spiritual Energy at the Village at any given time. Ma'kine had always drawn similiarities to his forefathers and SECRET's new home. SECRET worked the earth as his parents had. They mined as he had done. SECRET copied Seireitei's advancement as his forefathers had done. And, as he discovered, were exterminated as his forefathers had been.

Ma'kine walked cheerfully out of the mine's entrance on a late autumn evening. The sky was a miriad of colors. Not a cloud, even around the mountain. But, to his horror, four huge Hollows were spread out around the village, and several bodies lay strewn carelessly in the paths, on fences.

Ma'kine hadn't sensed them because he hadn't been trying to. He never thought... He should have been prepared! With a gutteral rage, he rushed the nearest Hollow and stabbed furiously at it with his knife. The other Hollows fell soon after, each in a more bloody way than the last.

To Ma'kine's joy, there were survivors. Not many; a few children, Yuri, and one or two adults. Yuri was very old now, but her beauty never left her, nor her deadly accuracy with her weaponized hair. Yuri and Ma'kine shared one, solumn, grieving look. Yes. They would rebuild SECRET, even if she wasn't there to see its success. Ma'kine silently swore that, no matter what, Yuri would talk again. She'd get to say how sorry she was that SECRET had been attacked.

Yuri died that same winter, her body no longer able to endure life in the mountain.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

100 years ago

After Yuri's death, Ma'kine withdrew into himself. He was still a powerful Seated Officer. He was still the leader of SECRET. But, as he coldly reminded himself, he was not human. He was destined to watch humans, even those claiming to be the Gods of Death, age and pass on. They either died of old age, or were torn apart by Hollows. It made no difference to him.

As he stood in his bedroom above the shop, wearing only his Vastech, he looked in the mirror. That's right. There were no differences. Only Stasis... And Change. These... Humans, Shinigami. They were a bubbling mass of Change though their government was a set in stone object of Stasis. Nothing in Seireitei truly changed. Only the people did. And all those people... children compared to Ma'kine in terms of age... Hatchlings. How could they live?

"Humans... are so strange..." And at this moment, Ma'kine began to lose any last connections or hopes he may have had of fitting in with the rest of the Shinigami.

Approximately 15 Years Ago

Fifteen years ago, Ma'kine, an outsider in personality and appearance, expanded his store. The store annexed the surrounding rooms and area, Ma'kine having bought out the warehouses and several living areas from the street he resided. Nearly four times as large, Ma'kine's Manuscripts expanded to include a library to the northern part of the store, filling both the bottom and top floors of the warehouse that had existed there. Ma'kine paid for renovations to remake the interior and add and remove inner walls, though had some difficulty as the area he lived and ran his business was part of one of the great walls that turned Seireitei into a maze.

The library contained scrolls and books on various subjects, ranging from Animal books for children to "Zanpakuto Maintenance and Care". Bookcases lined the outer edge of the library, and several fluffy couches were arranged in the central space. The second level was opened up to be only a balcony going the entire perimeter of the warehouse wide enough for bookcases lining the walls and two people to walk abreast, with a space in the middle looking down at the lower level, with an intricate wooden rail preventing people from falling. Ma'kine kept Shinigami related content on the second floor.

The main section he kept as it was, however he had doors built leading to the library to the North, on the left side of the room, and another on the right leading to a set of rooms. The first room contained more parchment and inks, all held inside various glass cases. The room had three more doors, one leading upstairs, one to a Eastern room and one further South. The upstairs room held material that Shinigami may need, such as cloths, sewing items, basic medical supplies as well as various tinctures and oils for everything from curing fatigue to achieving a greater polish on a metal blade. Ma'kine even carried an oil that could make a Zanpakuto appear aged and worn, while maintaining sharpness.

The Eastern room sold gems, dug by Ma'kine himself, in both raw and cut forms. These gems and stones were stored in a Kido-enhanced glass display case. The Southernmost room was used as storage of new goods and was protected by a kido lock to keep customers out.

Ma'kine had expanded his store in response to the increased tension he felt in Soul Society. The very ancient Shinigami knew that Hollow Exterminations were increasing in frequency. The Shinigami were winning an age old war. And Ma'kine didn't like it one bit. Ma'kine looked at the numerous victories as an omen. Never before had he witnessed so many victories against the Hollow threat in such a short amount of time. Either Shinigami would wipe out Hollows, forcing them forever into Hueco Mundo, or the Hollows would attack like an animal backed into a corner. Good fortune only lasted so long.

But, Ma'kine capitalized on the good mood of the Shinigami, expanding Ma'kine's Manuscripts and offering a wider variety of services to make profit off the elation of Seireitei. He didn't know how long the jubilation would last, so he spent a good portion of his own gold to buy up the area around his store, knowing that in the long run, the rather astounding pile of yellow rocks would be nothing compared to his total profits.

His store, located between the Eleventh and Fifth Divisions, was his second favorite job. The avian was a powerful Shinigami, one who should've been Captain if he tried to pursue that, but he preferred watching over his once-small store that was gaining popularity steadily. But, in truth, SECRET is where Ma'kine's heart lay. Though he was the last living member, Ma'kine kept constant vigilance, looking for anyone who may join him. And still, he tried to learn all that he could to aid the future members of SECRET. But until their numbers grew, he would bide his time, profiting off Ma'kine's Manuscripts, and forever working on his ancestral home and the now seemingly infinite mines below his mountain.

The Day of the Hollow Attack

Ma'kine had been tending to his store when the sky opened above. Countless Hollows rained from the sky. The Avian grabbed his Zanpakuto, not even dressing himself before a Hollow with the form of a rat tore through the front of the store. Ma'kine's sharp senses were aflame as he burnt the Hollow alive, able to sense endless deaths of Shinigami and Hollows alike.

For every Hollow Ma'kine cut down as he moved out to the street, two more came at him, drawn by the power they sensed. Ma'kine struggled under the weight of the assault, but his body and will were hard and he could take to the air as he burnt one Hollow after another to ash. But the Shinigami knew others were not so lucky, and even as he fought, he could tell that many others, far too many Shinigami, weren't prepared for the attack.

Ma'kine was forced into his Shikai fairly quickly, his big body slick with blood and other fluids coming from himself and the Hollows that threatened to overwhelm him. Though he wasn't losing, he couldn't move from the general area, the swarm was so numerous and he had no assistance. Only by using his Sukāretto sōgi kasō to cremate every hollow in his area at once was Ma'kine given the time to rush back to the Eleventh Division's Barracks, where he joined the one-sided battle, lending his scarlet blaze to assist the warriors.

~~~

Ma'kine had no idea, after the battle was over, how he survived when so many others didn't. Every part of his body was damaged, bleeding, cut, burnt by poison or otherwise hurt. He couldn't even dredge up enough spiritual pressure to warm himself, let alone the room like he used to. The huge Shinigami remembered clearly, however, that he had fought all out, pushing his way to Captain Baozhai once he learned her whereabouts, though he only met up once the main battle had been drawing to a close. He remembered, as he lay in a bed days later still recovering, that he had collapsed like a bloody, broken rag doll, merely a few meters from the Captain he revered and respected.

Ma'kine only rested in that bed long enough for his wings to heal. He had been in big trouble for assisting the 11th Division rather than his own, but instead of punishing him, his superiors decided Gotei had taken far too many losses to be dealing with the issue of one soldier leaving his post. The day his wings were healed, Ma'kine flew off, voices of medics below calling for him to return as he shot off into the sky and flew, nonstop, to his mountain.

Ma'kine finished his recovery in solitude, deep inside the labyrinth tunnels of the mines. In that inhuman way of his, when he returned, Ma'kine gave no explanation of his actions or whereabouts. After he returned, he repaired his store, expanding a bit due to the amount of damage. For Ma'kine, life moved on almost as if the Hollow Invasion never happened, let alone only days before, as if half of the Gotei 13 had not died, a great many of them right beside him as they did.

Last edited by Ma'kine on Mon Oct 26, 2015 9:33 pm; edited 7 times in total

(The following Roleplaying Sample is an observation in the day of Ma'kine. The following if longer than the typical post, but is written in the tone and voice of a typical post from the character Ma'kine. True posts will normally be several or more paragraphs, depending on the content of the Thread)

Roleplaying Sample:

Ma'kine stood outside his home, dressed in his robe. It was simple, white. But it was silk on the outside, and soft on the inside. He had no other clothing on, not even shoes. His bare toes stretched on the already warm flagstones outside his front door. Ma'kine slept late and rose early, as was his custom. He didn't need much sleep, but liked the sunrises.

This morning, he was moving the Garuda statues outside. Ten feet high and several feet in circumference, the stone figures were incredibly heavy. In the past, the bases were lined with gold to make them more appealing visually instead of solid grey. But, times change and gold cannot sit around, even right outside a Shinigami's home. He lived on the edge of Fifth Division's patrol area. He had purchased a store many centuries back when he left Eleventh Division, living upstairs and running the store in his free time. He sold fine inks and parchment, as well as old manuscripts. He also repaired manuscripts and books, occassionally needed to completely replace them.

There would be no rounds or desk work for the Sixth Seat today. The morning would be spent moving the statues farther to either side to make space for a rug for outside the store. Its twin, a wide, sturdy black rug with the Fifth Division's Insignia in blue, was already set on the other side of the sliding doors. The doors were currently closed and the chain and lock the avian placed over the handles when he went away for long periods were draped over the right statue's wings. The rug that would be going outside was rolled up and leaning against the doors. With grunts, Ma'kine was pressing his full weight into the side of the left statue, sliding it centimeter by centimeter farther to the left. Then he would need to do the same for the right side.

After he finishes outside, he'll open the store for a few hours until late morning, when he'll have to talk to students at the Shinigami Institute, the Academy that all Shinigami, Punishment Squad and Kido Corps hopefuls needed to graduate from. Ma'kine didn't believe for a moment that he was the oldest living Shinigami, but he was told he was considered very old. He shrugged the thought away. Ma'kine could feel the energy in his body; he had many times his current age left to live.

The sun had fully risen and many Shinigami had emerged from their homes or other doorways along this road. They always stared at Ma'kine. Some because he never asked for help, despite struggling with the many statues he owned but nobody ever saw again. Others because of the way he dressed and behaved. 'Barefoot and in a bathrobe, outside,' they would think. He didn't care much for that group. He was most comfortable in loose robes or bare than he was in the thick and messy Shinigami uniforms. The last group of people who would stare or steal glances at him were those who knew only the rumors they heard. The last group was mostly unseated Officers, Shinigami without rank. They would hear stories of how he never ages, gross exagerations of his age, or worse yet, the truth about his species. Ma'kine was proud of what he was. He was a survivor. The Undying. That was Ma'kine at his core.

Satisfied with the placement of the large statues, Ma'kine laid the black rug down. He had the two rugs custom ordered to be visually identically, but made of differing materials. The outer rug was coarse, while the inner was pleasantly soft. The idea was for customers to get the dirt off, before entering his store. The dirt and dust had a way of finding itself on his second floor whenever the store was open. Going inside, Ma'kine changed into his other "off-duty" outfit. He wore the Shinigami uniform, but modified to be without a back except for at the waist and a thin ribbon around the neck. Over this he wore his Vastech, the only armor his race had ever invented. It looked like a backwards Haori at first, but was actually made of interlocking scales. It was also silver and bore runes instead of a Division. It was meant to protect the front while allowing his wings full manuverability. Ma'kine never hid his wings while inside his home, even if he was minding the store. If somebody wanted top quality repairs for incredibly low prices, they'd have to deal with any unease.

It was rediculous that over sixty centuries had passed since he joined the Gotei and still he was considered strange. There were some, he believed, who lumped Ma'kine in with monsters such as Hollows and Arrancar, or worse, Vaizards. Ignorant cowards, those people were. They should be thankful Ma'kine was on their side. Infanaruasshu Tori would incinerate them otherwise. Ma'kine had no true reason to pledge undying loyalty to the Gotei, and certainly not to those... For lack of a better term, racists. He was here due to wanting the knowledge the Gotei possessed, thats what Ma'kine kept telling himself. Almost all ties Ma'kine had to the individuals here were gone, as they have been for ages.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The morning passed slowly. Four customers, three of whom were sent on an errand by Seated Officers of various Divisions to seek books or get repairs done on others. Some little blonde took an old scroll back to Fourth Division that Ma'kine had made good as new, reinking the faded words and diagrams. A brunnet dropped a book off from the Thirteenth Division that a Seated Officer had read one too many times and was coming apart. Surprisingly, a well dressed Noblewoman had stopped by, buying three books on the history of Rukongai for her nephew's birthday. The woman only noticed Ma'kine's wings as she was leaving, and from the size of her eyes as she exited the shop, she wasn't likely to come again. The final customer came and went only muttering the name of the book she needed, then nearly fell over herself as she scurried out the door.

When it came time to go to the Academy, Ma'kine flipped the sign in the front circular window to closed, going upstairs to change into his standard uniform. As he always did, Ma'kine stretched his wings their full twenty feet and gently worked the muscles and bones before folding them in as tight as an beetle's cover. He pulled the black clothing on, slipping on tabi after putting on his pants. Ma'kine blew out the candles upstairs, lit a small incense burner, then left. He wrapped the chain four times in both directions around the handles of the doors before placing the thick padlock. The key hung around his neck under the clothing. In his right hand, Infanaruasshu Tori rested easily. The sheatheless knife was never more than two feet from his right hand, even while manning the store. He merely set the Zanpakuto on a shelf under the counter, hidden from view of customers who would look at the expensive ink wells and pens he had placed under the glass counter for sale.

On the walk to the Academy, in which he literally walked unlike some Shinigami who Shunpo if they need to go farther than a single block, Ma'kine thought about his store. Perhaps buisness would pick up with modernization, he thought. Nobles and common-folk Shinigami alike seemed fascinated by newer and better Soul Phones, games and, if the rumors Ma'kine heard about the human world, books were even becoming electronical, able to fit thousands of tomes in a single computerized device. Ma'kine wasn't as modern as others, as he greatly prefered a dusty old book in a dark library over staring at an electronic screen.

Ma'kine soon enough, only late by a few minutes despite having walked, found himself standing before a group of mixed year students at the Academy. He stood at a podium, talking to the group. He spent much of the time talking about the history of Seireitei and how it has changed over the centuries. He talked about the discovery of new Kido that the Fifth Division worked on, talked long about the various panicks and troubles Soul Society has faced. The group was fascinated by talk of Shinigami who, for numerous reasons, betrayed their friends and all of Soul Society and had to be fought and later executed, or who are on the run to this vary day.

After the history lesson was over, the teachers of the Academy insisted he open up for questions, both personal and academic. At the begining, most was stuff they should have learned in class; when does a Shinigami's Asuchas become a Zanpakuto, how old were the Noble families, which were the "best Divisions" for people of so-and-so interests. But, the group came out of its shell soon enough.

A young lady, rather on the pudgy side with hair tied in a loose knot, asked him the following, "Why are there no others like you in the Gotei?" A simple, innocent question that carried far more weight than anyone would admit or knew.

Ma'kine's voice was stiff as he replied, "There are no others like me. The same as their are no others like yourself, young lady, or like your professors. Everyone is unique in their own ways, the same as the Zanpakuto all Shinigami wield; no two are alike."

A man with the gruff exterior of a outer Rukon citizen called out, "I believe she meant why there's no winged things like you. You're old as dirt but nobody's seen another like you, as far as anyone knows." His voice carried the mockery that his face didn't show.

A teacher was about to retort when Ma'kine raised his hand calmly to quiet her. "I'm sure the young man didn't mean to insult a Seated Officer, Miss Yamada," Ma'kine said, putting emphasis on his wording to gently remind the man that he was a Shinigami of rank, and as such, of much higher standing than the Rukongai citizen. "And as for the question, think of this. Why do we not have werewolves and Fullbringers and other races working for Gotei? Because they have different cultures. Here in Seireitei and Rukon, it's believed that joining Gotei is the gateway to a better life. But werewolves, though some may join and become Shinigami, their race believes that consorting with humans is to abandon their own group. It would be the same as any of you lending your strength to support a Hollow," at this there was an uproar at Shinigami being compared to Hollows. "Hush now, I'm merely giving an example of how different the two groups are. My kind have known of Shinigami for longer than I've lived. Yet, I'm the only one to join. I'm the exception, not the rule."

Now, a teacher, a nerdy man with thick glasses and messy hair, asked a question. "Which brings up an interesting point; what exactly is your kind?"

"Humans and Shinigami have no name for my kind. Our language, even if it did have a name for us, is unknown to Shinigami except for things such as my name or the type of armor I occassionally wear. Our races have never met in person before I became Shinigami, and by then I already knew the language."

A voice from the back of the student group called out, "Where are your kind from?"

"Soul Society."

"Where in Soul Society?"

"Outside Rukongai."

"Where outside Rukon District?"

"Someplace really far away."

"How far away?"

"I never counted."

"How did you get here?"

"I flew."

"How long did it take?"

"A while."

And so, as their questions moved more onto the topic of his kind and what they were like, the more removed and vague his answers became. After a while, the students realized Ma'kine would only truly answer questions about after he became Shinigami. A young lady had asked what his Zanpakuto Spirit was like, at one point. Ma'kine softly informed her that it was considered impolite to ask about another's Spirit, especially a man whom she was a stranger to.

With the questions dwindling down and dinner-time coming soon, Ma'kine answered a final question (asked to show his wings, which he did with the teachers' permission), then left. On the way back to his store, Ma'kine dialed a number on his Soul Phone (a special model he had made; it was shaped like an owl and was a flip phone). The number went to Twelfth Division's lab, and he requested to meet with somebody to discuss technology; he had decided to sell electronic wares in his store and wanted to be sure he carried the newest and greatest. He first had to learn what that was, however.

Technique Name: Vastine Amorte shizen (Vastine Amorte Nature)Technique Description: Due to the nature of his kind, Ma'kine possesses the ability to fly and see in near total darkness. Ma'kine also sees a wider range of color than normal people, allowing him to see the majority of light between near ultraviolet and mid-infered. He does this by using a second eyelid, though using his Star-based Shikai allows him to see much more at will. He describes it as "cycling through" the wavelengths the way one would cycle through radio stations.

Technique Name: Garūda no ikari (Anger of the Garuda)Technique Description: Ma'kine's Spiritual Pressure takes physical shape in an aura of fire. As his emotions rise, fires spontaneously erupt within several feet of his person.

Technique Name: Jaberinribingu (Living Javelin)Technique Description: Wrapping his arms around the target to restrain them, Ma'kine flies several stories upwards. Once reaching his desired height, Ma'kine throws the victim headlong towards the ground. Alternatively, Ma'kine grabs a body or similarly shaped object and throws that at the target.

Technique Name: Faningu-en (Fanning Flames)Technique Description: Ma'kine unleashes a sudden burst of heat from his body by snapping his wings open and shut at high speeds. The force pushes nearby objects and persons away from him.

Technique Name: Gatoringufisuto (Gatling Fist) Technique Description: Using the boost to his speed, Ma'kine unleashes a flurry of physical punches.

Shikai Ability: Most obviously, it gives Ma'kine fire manipulation and immunity, but it also creates and controls a star. The Shikai itself is the star, and all the flames are taken from it. As such, they burn with the intensity of solar flares. The star is bound to Ma'kine and he to it. They are bound by the flames on his legs and fist, unquenchable by conventional means. Losing the fire on his body causes the star to drift, until he catches it and reignites the flames. It is his equivalent of dropping his weapon.

Technique Name: Sukāretto sōgi kasō (Scarlet Funeral cremation)Technique Description: Flames pulled from the star at his back erupt from his fist as he punches the earth. These flames shoot outwards along the ground in an intricate spider's web over a thirty foot diameter with Ma'kine as the epicenter. When the lines of fire touch a Hollow, it is engulfed in crimson fire briefly and reduced to ashes.

Technique Name: Amegafuru sutā (Star Rain)Technique Description: A huge amount of fire swarms around his fist, expanding to a three feet across orb. This orb is released in a straight line and has the burning intensity of a miniture star. It will burn through any material in its path until it is unable to continue keeping itself alight.

Technique Name: Taiyō furea (Solar Flare)Technique Description: Even if Ma'kine does not give the command, he can activate this power. The star at Ma'kine's back drastically increases in brightness, blinding those in the vicinity besides Ma'kine himself due to how used the avian is.

Technique Name: Sutābāsuto (Star Burst)Technique Description: Ma'kine claspses his hands together over his head, drawing a large amount of flame down his arm. The technique appears similar Setting Star, however once the star reaches full size, it erupts and sends tongues of flame in all directions.

Technique Name: Saigai Shakkahō (Disaster Red Flame Cannon)Technique Description: Using his own flames as a catalyst, Ma'kine increases the potency of the Kido spell.

While in Bankai, Ma'kine can direct the creature with thought alone. While the beast exists, the flames on his body and sword continually burn. If the bird is destroyed, his flames vanish. However, Ma'kine gains the power to breathe this star-fire, enabling him to continually revive the bird as long as he is able to breathe enough flame to re-create the creature. The intensity of his fire is so great, water and ice abilities evaporate in his presence. Ma'kine's phoenix has the ability to "remember" those it personally kills. It can remember three individuals and any abilities it saw.

Technique Name: Sutā to honō no ōkoku (Kingdom of Star and Flame)Technique Description: The intensity of Ma'kine's Bankai causes all natural water in the air and enviroment to evaporate. Water and ice based techniques fail in his prescence unless used by absolute masters of the element. Technique ends if Ma'kine uses Satsugai sa reta teki no umarekawari or reseals his Bankai.

Technique Name: Honō-ō no kotoba (Words of the Flame King)Technique Description: Ma'kine gains the ability to breathe star-flame at any time while in Bankai. These flames act as normal fire, but cannot be exinquished by water, as water cannot exist in Ma'kine's prescence.

Technique Name: Kingu no hōsoku (King's Law)Technique Description: Using Honō-ō no kotoba, Ma'kine brings back to life his Bankai, breathing a continuios flame to recreate the bird.

Technique Name: Satsugai sa reta teki no umarekawari: Barranst Wanderquiest (Reincarnation of the Slain Foe: Barranst Wanderquiest)Technique Description: The phoenix body of the Bankai comes to rest before Ma'kine, to his right side. It faces him and bows its great head, seemingly kneeling before him. As it does, its flames burn much brighter until they are blinding. As the flames start to burn away, Barranst Wanderquiest, the Smiling Hollow of Ma'kine's past, kneels in servitude Ma'kine.

Technique Name: Satsugai sa reta teki no umarekawari: (Reincarnation of the Slain Foe: _____)Technique Description: Unused Technique Slot. Will transform the Bankai into one Soul that Ma'kine destroys using his bankai.

Technique Name: Satsugai sa reta teki no umarekawari: (Reincarnation of the Slain Foe: _____)Technique Description: Unused Technique Slot. Will transform the Bankai into one Soul that Ma'kine destroys using his bankai.

Technique Name: Sekandosutēji o henkō: Garūdafōmu (Changed Second Stage: Garuda Form)Technique Description: Ma'kine leaps backwards into the breast of his Pheonix. As he does, the bird's body alters, shrouding around him and creating a living armor of fire. The Garuda Form is the size of Ma'kine, but contains all the flame of the full form. In this state, Ma'kine's physical attributes are extremely enhanced. His Star Fire is refined to the point of boiling the earth on which he walks.